If you wanted to gain muscle mass, what would you do?
For many the prescription might be to eat more and lift weights. And for the right individual at the right time in their life, i.e. a teenage boy, this could be the perfect formula.
But what if you're not a teenage boy? And you'd still like to put on muscle mass, to get stronger and move more powerfully. What else can you do?
Well, then we might want to ensure that the training program is designed for hypertrophy. And that compound lifts form the foundation of the program. We would ensure that the individual was getting at least eight hours of sleep per night. And if there were any nutritional gaps, we would address these with a supplement. (btw...crocodile blood would not apply in this scenario)
For some, that have tried all of the above, they might give up and believe they are simply hard-gainers. Their ability to put on lean mass is that much harder and they become resigned to the fact they won't have big arms, a V taper or barrel chest.
Short of loading up on vitamin S is there anything else that can be done?
Absolutely!
And a new study adds more evidence as to how.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky looked at how antibiotics affect skeletal muscle in mice running on a weighted wheel. The mice were divided into four groups of 10-11 females in each:
1. No running and no antibiotics administered
2. Running and no antibiotics administered
3. No running with antibiotics administered
4. Running with antibiotics administered
Antibiotics were administered twice weekly, for the 8 weeks of the experiment, in the drinking water of the mice. For the mice that ran, one gram of resistance was applied to the wheel each week. For the mice that did not run, locks were placed on the running wheel to prevent running.
Muscles of the limbs involved in running were analyzed for markers and weighed to determine hypertrophy i.e. muscle growth.
At the start of the experiment there was no difference in the gut biome (bacteria) of the mice. Antibiotic treatment significantly reduced the number of bacterial species detected in the gut microbiome.
What they found is that the administration of antibiotics disrupted, and reduced, the bacteria of the gut, impairing the ability of skeletal muscle to adapt to the running on the wheel. In the mice, the plantaris and soleus muscles were impaired with regards to muscle growth after running on the wheel.
The graphic below summarizes the experiment nicely. It is important to note that mice with normal gut microbiomes, i.e. no antibioitics administered, saw a shift from fast to slower muscle fiber type and significant hypertrophy. In treated mice that received the antibiotics there was a shift from fast to slow muscle fiber type in the soleus, but this shift was not as great with the plantaris. In both the soleus and plantaris muscles, antibiotics blunted hypertrophy.
Although the study involved mice, the evidence indicates the importance of a healthy gut biome in terms of putting on muscle mass. While there are times when antibiotics are necessary, i.e. before surgery, we should be aware of the impact this has on our ability to put on size. Some estimates suggest it takes approximately six months for the gut bacteria to restore after a round of antibiotics.
Other things you can do to maintain the healthiest microbiome possible include:
* Brush and floss - This helps prevent the accumulation of harmful bacteria in the mouth.
* Limit the consumption of alcohol - This can disrupt the normal balance of bacteria and is typically accompanied by foods that aren't favourable to healthy bacteria.
* Watch Seinfeld, get outside and breath - Manage your stress levels. Too much sympathetic stress, i.e. fight or flight, wreaks havoc on our gut bacteria.
* Limit the consumption of certain foods - This includes fried food, processed meat, refined carbohydrates, dairy and foods high in sugar.
Putting on muscle can be hard enough especially as we age. Make sure you aren't putting yourself at a further disadvantage by not having the healthiest gut bacteria possible.
Valentino, T.R., Vechetti, I.J., Jr, Mobley, C.B., Dungan, C.M., Golden, L., Goh, J. and McCarthy, J.J. (2021), Dysbiosis of the gut microbiome impairs mouse skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise. J Physiol. Accepted Author Manuscript. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP281788