Research carried out at the National Heart and Lung Institute at the Imperial College, London has found an association of the stress-hormone-level and mitochondria-health, with the muscle loss post-surgery and recovery time. According to the study, the varying degree of muscle loss and recovery time after surgery is governed by two key factors namely, the level of the stress hormone called cortisol, and the health of mitochondria (subcellular organelles) before the surgery. Pre-surgery anxiety or stress causes the conversion of cortisone to cortisol, which induces muscle break down to provide energy. This reversible conversion is catalyzed by the enzyme 11-βHSD2.
Low levels of the 11-βHSD2 enzyme are linked to higher muscle loss in patients. Similarly, the condition of mitochondria determines the quantity of energy uptake and the level of inflammatory markers. Typically, patients with…
