Recent studies suggest that strength training may significantly enhance our body’s cellular cleanup processes, which are crucial for keeping our organs and tissues functioning properly and promoting healthy aging.
As we engage in physical activity, our muscle cells endure wear and tear. To address this, our body has a specialized recycling system to eliminate damaged cellular parts.
This self-cleaning mechanism is known as autophagy. Essentially, it involves wrapping up worn-out cellular components in a structure called an autophagosome, which then breaks them down into basic building blocks for reuse.
One key player in this process is a protein named BAG3, which helps recognize damaged elements and ensures they are moved into autophagosomes. Research shows that strength training activates this protein.
A recent study in Current Biology by Höhfeld and his team reveals that mechanical stress from strength training triggers signals that activate BAG3 in human muscles.
Interestingly, you can see these effects after just a few intense repetitions, particularly when lifting close to your maximum weight.
As Höhfeld pointed out, “You can activate the BAG3 system after 20 to 30 strong muscle contractions in a single session.” It’s important to push towards maximum intensity to create slight muscle damage.
The activation of BAG3 is most effective when larger muscle groups are targeted—think legs, chest, and back—using exercises like weightlifting, squats, and pull-ups, possibly with added weights for an extra challenge.
While autophagy is a hot topic in anti-aging discussions, Höhfeld notes that BAG3-mediated cleanup functions a bit differently. “There are various forms of autophagy,” he explains. While the commonly discussed method concerns starvation-induced autophagy prompted by reduced calorie intake, BAG3-driven autophagy focuses on eliminating cellular waste—specifically damaged proteins.
Aging cells tend to produce more BAG3 to manage the increasing buildup of these damaged proteins, contributing to healthier aging.
Understanding how this protein works could unlock new therapeutic approaches for issues like muscle weakness and heart failure, resulting from the accumulation of damaged cellular components.
References
Ottensmeyer, J., Esch, A., Baeta, H., Sieger, S., Gupta, Y., Rathmann, M. F., Jeschke, A., Jacko, D., Schaaf, K., Schiffer, T., Rahimi, B., Lövenich, L., Sisto, A., Ven, P. F. M. van der, Fürst, D. O., Haas, A., Bloch, W., Gehlert, S., Hoffmann, B., … Höhfeld, J. (2024). Force-induced dephosphorylation activates the cochaperone BAG3 to coordinate protein homeostasis and membrane traffic. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.088