Skeletal Muscle

Muscle reserve can help people withstand acute catabolic stress such as infection, surgery, trauma, immobility, or hospitalization. The article rejects the claim that fasting destroys muscle mass. Skeletal muscle functions as the body's metabolic engine. Skeletal muscle is a major site of glucose disposal, so declining muscle health can contribute to insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction. Skeletal muscle manages the body's fuel usage. Muscle tissue is densely packed with mitochondria, making it the primary site of fat oxidation in the body. Skeletal muscle acts as a mechanical pump for the lymphatic system, with contractions physically driving lymph fluid through the body. Fasting increases human growth hormone, which the article says helps preserve muscle and tissue. Skeletal muscle is a controllable part of the body's metabolism. The body is described as protecting muscle during fasting because muscle is necessary for survival. When muscle mass declines with age, metabolic rate also falls. Low or poorly nourished muscle can trigger a compounding pathway of strength loss, fat infiltration, worsened glucose disposal, insulin resistance, and vulnerability during illness. A s…