Dr Markus Schuelke says that a German 5-year-old boy who is twice as
strong as most of his peers is just a normal child. A genetic mutation
has blessed him with much more muscle and less fat than his peers.
Although he looks just like any other child of his age, he can perform
feats of great strength.
Dr. Schuelke said that you would not notice anything different about him if he were in a crowd of kids. But the boy can lift very heavy objects.
Schuelke has known this boy since he was a couple of days old. His parents brought him in because he had been twitching. The twitching was nothing to worry about, said Schuelke. But he did notice that the baby had a lot of muscle on him.
After monitoring the boy for five years, Schuelke says he has a genetic mutation that enhances muscle growth.
The boy has a muscular mother - she used to be sprinter. His mother's brothers are all muscular as well.
You can read about this in the New England Journal of Medicine.
After DNA tests on the boy, scientists found he had a mutation in the myostatin gene. This gene controls the growth of muscles in humans. His body cannot produce the myostatin protein.
This research could one day lead to myostatin hormone therapy to treat people with muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a degenerative condition - there is no cure.
Dr. Schuelke said that you would not notice anything different about him if he were in a crowd of kids. But the boy can lift very heavy objects.
Schuelke has known this boy since he was a couple of days old. His parents brought him in because he had been twitching. The twitching was nothing to worry about, said Schuelke. But he did notice that the baby had a lot of muscle on him.
After monitoring the boy for five years, Schuelke says he has a genetic mutation that enhances muscle growth.
The boy has a muscular mother - she used to be sprinter. His mother's brothers are all muscular as well.
You can read about this in the New England Journal of Medicine.
After DNA tests on the boy, scientists found he had a mutation in the myostatin gene. This gene controls the growth of muscles in humans. His body cannot produce the myostatin protein.
This research could one day lead to myostatin hormone therapy to treat people with muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is a degenerative condition - there is no cure.
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