A new dietary supplement has been launched which is said to help promote new muscle growth, according to its manufacturer, Biotest Laboratories.
The supplement, called Myostat, is the fruit of more than a year of research and is said to bind to the myostatin protein to help build healthy new muscles. It is being promoted by the company as a supplement for all those interested in increasing their muscles, not just bodybuilders.
Biotest discovered CSP-3, the myostatin binder, while experimenting with a rare form of marine algae called Cystoseira canariensis. The discovery of this hydroponically grown Canary Islands super algae by-product allowed Biotest "to remove the genetic limitations to muscle growth," the company said in a statement.
The difference between Myostat and other muscle-building supplements, the company claims, is that it enables the proliferation of new muscle cells rather than building muscles through hypertrophy (a thickening of existing muscle fibres).
CSP-3 is orally bioavailable and has already proven to be well tolerated by the body, the company claimed, adding that inhibiting myostatin would not affect the heart or structures other than skeletal muscle.
Biotest added that recent research by Johns Hopkins University had shown that inhibiting myostatin was potentially an effective way to prevent or treat obesity and associated conditions, like diabetes.