A compound may aid weight loss, increase muscle strength, and reduce inflammation associated with aging

A compound recently discovered can help old, obese mice lose weight, increase muscle and strength, reduce age-related inflammation and increase physical activity, a new study shows

The study, published in the journal Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, provides for the first time that BAM15, a mitochondrial decoupler, prevents sarcopenic obesity, or age-related muscle loss with concomitant increases in adipose tissue

"Loss of muscle mass is usually not a problem for obese young adults

After feeding BAM15, the frailty and frailty typical of sarcopenic obesity in aged mice (equivalent to the age of 60-65 years in humans) was counteracted

"Usually, when you lose weight, you also lose muscle, and in some cases, a lot of muscle," says Axelrod

BAM15 works by reducing the efficiency of the cell's energy factories, the mitochondria

However, the findings on BAM15 have important implications for improving quality of life in older adults, especially in the rapidly growing obese population

Dr John Kirwan, executive director of Pennington Biomedical Sciences, said: "These data highlight that mitochondrial separators may play an important role in improving healthy lifespan in older adults, a time when a person enjoys good health

BAM15 improves many key determinants of health and aging, including:

• remove damaged mitochondria

• produce healthier mitochondria

• Reduced "inflammation," or age-related inflammation, associated with muscle loss

"Extending healthy lifespan is even more important than extending lifespan," Cowan said