Acetaminophen slows muscle loss

Eric Blough and his team of scientists at Marshall University’s biotechnology center have found that using acetaminophen, a drug found in Tylenol, regularly could help slow muscle loss in people as they age.

The drug does this by helping the muscles generate proteins that people stop producing as they get older

Blough calls the finding is important.

“Our data in animals certainly seems very promising,” Blough said. “I think there is a lot more work that has to be done to look at it on the human side, but it’s very exciting, at least to me, that this is data that supports that a drug that is very commonly available, that it might have an effect on treating age associated disorders.”

Blough said this new finding will lead Marshall scientists to research in other areas.

“This use of acetaminophen could have potential use for several disorders, some of these include neurological disorders and cardiovascular disorders,” Blough said.

Dr. John Maher, vice president for research and executive director of the Marshall University research corporation, said the research could have great implications given the fact that people age 65 and older make up the fastest-growing segment of the population.

“If these types of effects were to translate from the animal studies in to human studies, there would be perhaps very much more effective therapies that aren’t contemplated right now with very simple, well understood, well-tolerated medication that could help with some of the critical issues associated with aging,” Maher said.

Maher said research like this is going to help both Blough and Marshall.

“It’s sort of a virtuous cycle there. The more you do, the better known you become. The more you're recognized, then the more funding opportunities you get to continue in your career,” Maher said.

The findings were published in the July 29, 2009 issue of the international research journal PLoS One.