Muscles don’t just help us move – they are also the makers of a range of anti-inflammatory proteins. Together, these proteins act like a powerful medicine that can only be prescribed by regular physical activity.  

Until recently, the function of the body’s major muscles – skeletal muscles – were largely considered to be isolated to moving the body around through daily activities and exercise.  

Now, researchers have discovered that skeletal muscles are actually an active endocrine organ and the body’s powerhouse makers of particular hormone-like proteins that have a profound effect on the immune system.  

“We are continuing to gain an insight into why regular physical exercise is such a critical component of human health, and how exercise actually influences all the other systems within the body,” says Professor Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine at Edith Cowan University. 

It’s exciting because we are coming to realise that exercise is in fact a medicine, and not just one medicine but a range of different medicines, each of which can be prescribed at a specific dosage.”  

Skeletal muscles are those muscles that are voluntarily controlled by the brain, making up around 40 per cent of body weight.  

These muscles secrete hundreds of different hormone-like proteins called myokines, which have an anti-inflammatory effect across the entire body including fat tissue, the liver, the digestive system and the pancreas.  

According to research, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, depression and dementia are associated with chronic inflammation across the whole body. Increased myokine production through exercise can directly protect against these conditions.  

It is thought that the active contraction of skeletal muscles affects the amount of myokines that are secreted, with their concentration increasing after exercise. After 30 minutes of exercise, there is a great surge in myokine production, up to 100 times the circulating resting concentration.  

Myokines are especially important for people living with diabetes, and they have also been shown to improve insulin secretion in the beta cells of the pancreas at mealtimes, enhance insulin sensitivity and help to metabolise abdominal fat.  

“We now know that the effect of exercise on diabetes is complex and it’s likely that the myokines are signalling other organ systems in the body, including the pancreas, and this is aiding glucose regulation.”  

How to increase your myokine production  

Any exercise that works to continuously contract the main muscles of the body, such as the legs, buttocks and arms, will produce myokines and have a positive health effect.     

You can work towards achieving this by following physical activity and exercise guidelines published by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. These guidelines suggest that adults aged 18-65 should be active on most, preferably all, days of the week.  

Aim for 150 to 300 minutes (2½ to 5 hours) of moderate intensity physical activity, such as a brisk walk, golf, mowing the lawn or swimming or 75 to 150 minutes (1¼ to 2½ hours) of vigorous intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both moderate and vigorous activities, each week.   

The guidelines also recommend muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week. Muscle strengthening activities are particularly important for myokine production.   

However, if you are not achieving these recommendations at the moment, set a goal that is realistic for you. Remember that any amount of movement is beneficial.  

Muscle-strengthening exercises  

Strength exercises work your muscles by applying a resistance so that muscles exert a force. Gravity or a weight are forces your muscles can work against. Some great examples of strength exercises are:   

• Body weight exercises like push-ups, squats or lunges.   

• Lifting weights.   

• Tasks around the house that involve lifting, carrying or digging – gardening is a great example, but groceries and carrying small children also count.   

• Climbing stairs instead of taking the lift or escalator.  

• Resistance exercise classes like Body Pump, step aerobics or circuit classes.  

Amazing muscle facts 

The more exercise you do, the more you can do.  

Over time, regular physical activity increases the amount and size of skeletal muscle mitochondria, the body’s producers of energy within the cells. The more mitochondria you have, the more energy you can generate. This is especially important for older people, as the number of mitochondria present in the body tends to decrease with age without the counter-active effects of exercise.   

Muscles burn more fat   

Muscles are good learners who love carbohydrate. During exercise, muscles generally prefer to use the carbohydrate glycogen (a stored form of glucose) as a quick, easy energy source. With regular physical activity, muscles learn to build up glycogen stores, gathering plenty of fuel for the next bout of exercise.   

Muscles help build strong bones  

It is widely accepted that weight-bearing and resistance exercises can help build strong bones through placing direct stress on bones, which triggers cells called osteoblasts to create new bone.   

It now appears that muscles also have a say in bone density, with specific myokines (as described above) produced by contracting muscles. This promotes a significant increase in bone density, while decreasing body fat. It appears one particular myokine (known as IL-15) does this without increasing body weight, almost like it transfers the weight from fat into bone.   

Do you want to move more and feel good? 

Beat It! is a free 8-week group exercise and lifestyle program to help you better manage your diabetes and improve your general health. This program involves moderate intensity aerobic, strength and balance-based exercises as well as education sessions on healthier living. 

Beat It! is suitable for people living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Visit our programs page for upcoming dates. 

Diabetes WA runs a range of free diabetes self-management programs, including face-to-face workshops and live online programs. You can book online or call our free helpline on 1300 001 880.