Research
Hormonal
Chronic low-grade inflammation (inflammaging) in skeletal muscle, driven by factors like TNF-α and IL-1β, activates IKKβ/NF-κB and JNK pathways, which phosphorylate IRS-1 on serine residues, thereby blocking normal insulin signaling.
Reducing systemic inflammation through anti-inflammatory dietary patterns and exercise can help maintain healthy insulin signaling in muscles.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Inflammation primarily impairs insulin signaling by activating the IKKβ/NF-κB and JNK pathways, thereby promoting skeletal muscle insulin resistance.
Why this rating
Review of mechanistic studies.
Source
Mechanism of increased risk of insulin resistance in aging skeletal muscle
Jian Shou et al. · Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome · 2020
DOI 10.1186/s13098-020-0523-x
narrative_reviewCited 265×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Exercise acts as a non-pharmacological intervention that counteracts age-related insulin resistance by enhancing mitochondrial oxidative capacity, improving autophagy, and reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.Good
- Skeletal muscle aging independently increases the risk of insulin resistance through a convergence of mitochondrial dysfunction, intramyocellular lipid accumulation, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and sarcopenia.Moderate
- Mitochondrial dysfunction in aging skeletal muscle, characterized by reduced oxidative capacity and increased ROS production, directly impairs insulin signaling and promotes insulin resistance.Moderate
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