Intramyocellular lipid content is not only used as a source of energy in adipose tissue, but also in skeletal muscle. It has been shown that during prolonged exercise, IMCL content decreases as the lipid content is transformed into energy. Similarly, prior to routine exercise, trained athletes exhibit elevated amounts of IMCL content within skeletal muscle in order to compensate for the amount of energy that is regularly used and lost during exercise.
Previous studies have found that older men tend to have larger IMCL droplets and fewer droplets when compared with other groups (Crane et al. 2010). Based on these studies, it is expected that such variation in IMCL content is responsible for the differences in mitochondrial function and lipid metabolism between the young and older populations.
It is understood that within human muscle fibers there exist lipid droplets which are known as intramyoceullar lipids (IMCL). There have been numerous studies which have investigated the difference in intraymocellular content, but none have been matched for physical activity as our data has been matched for physical activity. It is thought that older men have larger IMCL droplets than young adults. Additionally it was previously determined that older adults have a lower percentage of IMCL in contact with mitochondria as compared to young adults (Crane et al. 2010). Furthermore, trained athletes have a high IMCL content which is countered by having a greater concentration of mitochondria.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of age and sex on IMCL content within skeletal muscle. Identifying such relationships between IMCL content and other variables such as age and sex while being matched for physical activity can reveal relevant information regarding why IMCL storage in skeletal muscle is important for physical performance. From a clinical standpoint, examining factors that influence lipid size in respect to aging and sex differences can be beneficial in designing interventions to improve lipid metabolic efficiency.This in turn would increase the availability of energy to skeletal muscles, allowing for increased physical function.
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