# Why Your Muscles Need This Enzyme to Reap the Benefits of Exercise

*A decline in skeletal muscle NOX4 abrogates exercise-induced adaptive homeostasis and exacerbates biological aging.*

- **Evidence Level**: Moderate
- **Publication Types**: Journal Article
- **Journal**: Science advances
- **Sample Size**: Aged mice plus human muscle samples
- **Authors**: Xirouchaki CE, García-Domínguez E, Coughlan E, McGrath MJ, Giri S, Liang S, Wiede F, Bigot A, Sadoshima J, Gomez-Cabrera MC, Philp A, Moberg M, Apró W, Roman W, Mitchell CA, Tiganis T
- **Published**: 2026-06-10
- **Topics**: exercise, muscle aging, sulforaphane
- **DOI**: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adz1953
- **Original Source**: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42268956/

## Summary

In mice and humans, a muscle enzyme called NOX4 drops as we age. This loss weakens muscles and dials down the body's natural defense system that exercise normally switches on. In mice, deleting NOX4 sped up frailty, fat gain, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Sulforaphane, the compound in broccoli sprouts, helped restore those protective responses.

## Practical Takeaway

This study hints that sulforaphane from broccoli may support muscle's exercise-like defenses, but it was tested in mice.

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_Canonical: https://longevity-switzerland.com/en/research/why-your-muscles-need-this-enzyme-to-reap-the-benefits-of-exercise · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-06-10_