Myostatin/Follistatin Blood Spot Test

 The Myostatin/Follistatin Blood Spot Test is an at-home test that measures myostatin and Follistatin levels.

Myostatin and Follistatin are proteins in the body that regulate muscle development.

Myostatin is active during multiple stages of the life cycle. Before birth (during embryonic development), myostatin determines the total number of muscle fibers an individual will have. In adults, myostatin controls the way that existing muscle fibers grow based on diet, physical activity, and age [3, 4, 5].

Scientists believe that exercise directly impacts myostatin levels – especially resistance exercise that specifically focuses on increasing muscle strength [5, 6].

In humans, myostatin levels also often increase with age, which may contribute to the loss of muscle mass during aging [6].

Myostatin levels are significantly higher in patients with diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis, which all involve the significant loss of muscle mass. Therefore, inhibiting myostatin is an active area of research with the potential to help prevent the loss of muscle in these diseases [7, 8].