How to trigger your heart’s waste disposal system and why

Just imagine your home if you didn’t take out your trash for a month. You wouldn’t be able to get a lot done with all the excess garbage lying around the floor.

This is precisely what happens to your body when its “trash removal system” fails.

But when that happens, it’s more than just an inconvenience. An interruption in how your body takes care of cellular trash could mean an interruption in an organ as vital as your heart…

Your body’s ‘trash man’

Eliminating damaged cell components is essential for maintaining the body’s tissues and organs—and how they function.

The brain is a good example. During sleep, the glymphatic system clears waste from the brain with the help of cerebral spinal fluid. If that process is hindered, cognitive decline will be close behind.

A similar process holds true for our muscles and nerves, whose cellular components are subject to constant wear and tear.

But how exactly are these damaged pieces of cells eliminated?

The protein BAG3 is the body’s “trash man.”

It constantly identifies damaged cell components and ensures they are enclosed by cellular membranes to form an autophagosome. An autophagosome is like a garbage bag in which cellular waste is collected for later shredding and recycling.

This waste disposal “system” is essential for the longer-term preservation of muscle mass.

Autophagosomes and your heart

Remember that your heart is nothing more than a giant muscle. It’s made mostly of cardiac muscle, enabling it to pump blood throughout your body. And it undergoes a lot of wear and tear.

Now, think about what could happen if the damaged cells in your heart were just left to lie around rather than being removed.

You guessed it: heart disease.

Luckily, a properly functioning BAG3 system prevents this by enclosing damaged cells and letting your body remove them.

You may be wondering if there is anything you can do to make this system work more efficiently.

Well, researchers have just discovered one way to do that.  And it’s accessible to everyone.

Strength training supports the BAG3 system and your heart

A research team led by Professor Jörg Höhfeld of the University of Bonn Institute of Cell Biology has shown that strength training activates BAG3 in the muscles.

Professor Sebastian Gehlert, a member of the research team, emphasizes how important the findings are: “We now know what intensity level of strength training it takes to activate the BAG3 system, so we can optimize training programs for top athletes and help physical therapy patients build muscle better.”

This means regular strength training (resistance exercise) can keep your heart healthy and strong.

So, although it may seem counterintuitive, the American Heart Association recommends strength training for anyone trying to prevent a second heart attack or stroke after having a conversation with your doctor.

And if you have a family history of heart disease, you’ll also want to get started right away.

More benefits of resistance exercise and how to get started

You don’t need to be a weightlifter to make resistance exercise part of your life. Any activity that requires your muscles to work against a weight or force counts as strength training.

This includes the use of resistance bands, as well as using your own body weight by doing push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. Even walking counts.

Resistance exercise has other health benefits, too:

1. Stronger bones. As we age, osteoporosis becomes more likely. Strength training can prevent this or keep it from getting worse by triggering bone-forming cells into action. And the joints we use while in training – our hips, spine, and wrists – are also the spots most likely to be affected by osteoporosis.
2. Weight loss. Strength training can rid of body of fat and help you burn more calories. And keeping your muscles healthy can help prevent injuries that will land you in a sedentary lifestyle that will shorten your life expectancy.
3. Improves balance. Strengthening your leg muscles can help counteract the weakness and frailty that can occur with age. A stronger lower half and better balance will cut your risk for hip fracture.
4. More flexibility. Building the muscles around your bones lubricates joints and eases swelling. If you have stiffness from arthritis, this is especially helpful. Being flexible is also tied to healthy longevity.

Sources:

Strength training activates cellular waste disposal — EurekAlert

Force-induced dephosphorylation activates the cochaperone BAG3 to coordinate protein homeostasis and membrane traffic — Current Biology

Strength and Resistance Training Exercise — American Heart Association