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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Knighty Tin who wrote (102296)	8/18/2005 3:36:30 PM
From: Pogeu Mahone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

July 26, 2005 The Claim: Muscle Turns to Fat When You Stop Working Out By ANAHAD O'CONNOR THE FACTS As summer heats up and Americans flock to the shores to bare their beach muscles, those of us whose gym memberships collected dust last winter or expired months ago may be left with physiques that went from firm to flabby. So did all those muscles simply melt to fat from more time on the couch and less at the sports club? That might be the popular explanation, experts say, but it's not exactly true. When people stop exercising and shift into couch potato mode, their muscles begin to shrink, clearing the way for adipose tissue, or fat, to slowly replace them. At the same time, many people who stop exercising often continue to consume the same amount of calories as they took in during their more active days, despite the fact that their energy expenditure is no longer nearly what it once was. All of this can create the illusion that a lean six-pack and bulging set of biceps turned to fat, said Dr. Gerard P. Varlotta, an associate professor of rehabilitation medicine at New York University, but muscle and fat are two distinct tissues that never convert to the other. "What happens is that the ratio of fat to muscle has changed," he said. "If you have atrophy of the muscle, then other tissue can move in and take its place." But even people who refuse to hit the gym can avoid this fate. Despite what some personal trainers may say, most people in decent shape can keep their muscles from shrinking through moderate activities or chores, like cleaning the house or walking the dog, Dr. Varlotta said. THE BOTTOM LINE Muscles might shrink when you stop working out, but they never turn to fat. scitimes@nytimes.com Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company Home Privacy Policy Search Corrections XML Help Contact Us Work for Us Back to Top