top of page
Search

A Muscle Lesson from Wendy the Whippet

By Shannon Kasun, Neuroscience Specialist


Wendy is a whippet—a breed that falls somewhere between the greyhound and the smaller Italian greyhound. 


But Wendy isn’t your typical whippet. She has a rare genetic mutation that gives her an exceptionally muscular physique.


This mutation prevents her body from producing myostatin—a protein that normally limits muscle growth. In most whippets and other animals, myostatin helps maintain the delicate balance between building and regulating muscle. But in Wendy’s case, that balance is missing, resulting in unusually large muscles.


Humans produce myostatin too. As we age, myostatin levels tend to increase. One study found that older women had 34% higher circulating levels of myostatin compared to younger women (Bergen et al., 2015). When myostatin dominates, the scale balancing muscle growth and loss tips toward the latter—a condition known as sarcopenia.


Sarcopenia doesn’t just increase the risk of falls and physical frailty—it also affects the brain. That’s because muscles produce brain-boosting myokines like irisin, which is neuroprotective and increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), especially in the hippocampus—the brain’s memory consolidation center, which is profoundly affected in Alzheimer’s disease (Inyushkin et al., 2023).


In other words, muscle isn’t just about looking good or maintaining physical independence—it’s essential for brain health, too.


So, how can we build muscle like Wendy?


Wendy shows us that limiting myostatin can be a powerful way to promote muscle growth. The first step toward doing this might be simpler than you think:


Check your vitamin D levels.


It’s incredibly hard to build muscle if you’re deficient in vitamin D. Low levels are associated with reduced muscle size, strength, and function (Gordon et al., 2008; Halfon et al., 2015). That’s because vitamin D suppresses myostatin, helping your body shift energy toward muscle growth instead of fat storage (Roizen et al., 2024).


If you're deficient, consider adding vitamin D3 to your supplement regimen. Optimal intake may be up to 5,000 IU per day, depending on your needs. You can also boost your vitamin D levels naturally through sunshine—aim for about 20 minutes of morning sun exposure daily.


Taking vitamin D certainly won’t make you look like Wendy—but that’s not really the goal, is it?


The goal is a stronger, healthier, longer life—and that’s something vitamin D can help you build.


Refences 








 
 
 
bottom of page