Lean Body Mass Accrual is the physiological process of increasing the total mass of non-fat components in the body, which primarily includes skeletal muscle, bone, and water, over a sustained period. This is a crucial metric for metabolic health and longevity, as maintaining or gaining lean mass is inversely correlated with all-cause mortality and insulin resistance. Clinically, the focus is on creating a sustained, favorable anabolic environment to promote net protein synthesis that exceeds the rate of protein degradation.
Origin
This concept is fundamentally rooted in exercise physiology and nutritional science, where the mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and bone mineral density maintenance have been extensively studied and quantified. The term “accrual” highlights the long-term, cumulative nature of building and sustaining these metabolically active tissues over time. In the context of hormonal health, it directly relates to the function of anabolic hormones, which naturally decline with advancing age.
Mechanism
Accrual is mediated by the synergistic interaction of mechanical stimuli (resistance training) with a supportive hormonal and nutritional environment. Key anabolic hormones, such as testosterone, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), bind to their respective receptors on muscle and bone cells, initiating signaling cascades like the Akt/mTOR pathway. This pathway upregulates gene transcription and translation necessary for the synthesis of new contractile proteins and tissue matrix components, ultimately leading to measurable gains in lean mass.
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