Research
Hormonal
IGF-1 and insulin signaling are critical for suppressing FoxO-mediated protein degradation, and their reduction contributes to muscle atrophy by releasing FoxO inhibition.
Maintaining healthy insulin and IGF-1 levels is crucial for preventing muscle loss. These hormones not only stimulate muscle growth but also actively suppress muscle breakdown pathways. A balanced diet that supports healthy insulin sensitivity is essential for muscle preservation.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Thus, during atrophic conditions, reduced signaling through the IGF-1–Akt–mTOR axis contributes to atrophy not only through reduced protein synthesis, but also through increased degradation by releasing FoxO inhibition [30–32].
Why this rating
The paper cites multiple studies confirming the role of IGF-1/insulin in proteostasis and FoxO regulation.
Source
Signaling Pathways That Control Muscle Mass
Anna Vainshtein et al. · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2020
DOI 10.3390/ijms21134759
narrative_reviewCited 210×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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