eli5: What causes muscle cells to die, and what happens to them after they die?
In: Biology
Our muscles die for a variety of reasons, though the most common reasons are age and lack of use. When not used, they are not supplied the necessary blood and nutrients and are simply consumed by the body, this however leaves a gap in the muscular structure which is in turn filled by its neighbors. So when you lose muscle youre effectively seeing the muscle proteins be consumed, and the remaining muscles spread to compensate for the loss, eventually getting to the point where there is a noticible visual difference. Vice versa when you gain muscles, the fibers develop and push other fibers out of the way or simply grow attop them
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