Hormonal
Fasting-induced elevation of the myokine FGF21 is required for starvation-mediated muscle atrophy and weakness; its absence preserves muscle mass and force during caloric restriction.
If you are fasting or in a caloric deficit, your body actively uses the hormone FGF21 to break down muscle. This paper suggests that blocking this specific hormonal signal could theoretically preserve muscle mass even without food. While this is a mouse study, it highlights that muscle loss isn't just 'inevitable' during fasting but is driven by specific biological switches.
FGF21 is required for fasting-induced muscle atrophy and weakness. ... FGF21-null muscles, however, were significantly protected from muscle loss and weakness during fasting.
Why this rating
High-quality in vivo murine models with specific knockout and overexpression, though translational to humans is not explicitly tested.
Source
Fibroblast growth factor 21 controls mitophagy and muscle mass
Lynette J. Oost et al. · Journal of Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle · 2019
DOI 10.1002/jcsm.12409
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