ABSTRACT
The benets imbued on those individuals possessing a large quantity of skeletal muscle mass are numerous and gaining a greater appreciation within the scientic and clinical community. Beyond the well-known relationship between skeletal muscle size and strength, skeletal muscle is thought to play an important role in reducing the risk for diseases such as obesity, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and diabetes (Wolfe 2006). For example, skeletal muscle represents the largest body reservoir for the disposal of postprandial blood glucose, thus declines in skeletal muscle mass and quality (i.e., ability to transport, store, and oxidize glucose) may play an important role in the etiology of insulin resistance and diabetes. As such, factors capable of enhancing skeletal muscle mass and metabolic quality are likely to be clinically relevant as they may represent effective strategies to attenuate and even reverse the loss of skeletal muscle that is associated with conditions such as cancer, sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), and bed rest.
