MOTS-c

What the research on MOTS-c has looked at

• MOTS-c and insulin resistance in mice: given to mice, it prevented the insulin resistance that comes with age and with a high-fat diet. It also prevented the weight gain caused by diet. The paper that first described it says its main target organ appears to be skeletal muscle. That is the authors' hedge, not a settled fact
• MOTS-c and physical capacity across ages: given to mice at 2, 12 and 22 months of age, it raised physical capacity at every age. Starting it late in life still raised capacity and healthspan
• MOTS-c and exercise in people: in people, exercise raises the amount of it the body makes, in muscle and in the blood
• MOTS-c after a hard cycling session: it showed only a trend upward. The other mitochondrial peptide measured in the same study rose significantly. Blood levels of both were unrelated to fitness, leg strength or muscle mitochondrial DNA content
• MOTS-c in breast cancer survivors: after a 16-week exercise program in 49 breast cancer survivors, it rose in the 24 non-Hispanic White participants. It did not rise in the 25 Hispanic participants