Nutritional and exercise interventions for FSHD

FSHD University webinar (September 15, 2022) by Mark Tarnopolsky, MD PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Director of Neuromuscular and Neurometabolic Clinic at McMaster University Medical Center in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Tarnopolsky is also CEO and CSO of Exerkine Corporation. He sees a large number of FSHD patients in his clinic and has observed that exercise provides significant benefits to them. Research in Dr. Tarnopolsky’s lab investigates the role of exercise and antioxidants as potential therapeutic interventions for FSHD.

Dr. Tarnopolsky explains, “FSHD is a genetic disorder that results from the toxic over-expression of the DUX4 gene, leading to skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness. The final common pathways of cellular dysfunction in this disorder are similar to other muscle diseases (i.e., myotonic MD, mitochondrial disease and sporadic inclusion body myopathy) and human aging associated muscle weakness (sarcopenia) and include; muscle stem cell dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and a reduction in muscle protein synthesis. We and others have shown the long-term clinical benefit from exercise in DM1, aging and mitochondrial disease and will present encouraging data on the long-term benefit of exercise in FSHD. Furthermore, appropriately targeted multi-ingredient dietary approaches represent a form of “nutra-pharmaceutical” therapy and we have shown significant benefits in aging, obesity and mitochondrial disease. I will discuss the clinical support for optimal dietary nutrient intake and the potential for a multi-ingredient nutrapharmaceutical to target the primary and secondary cellular consequences of FSHD that can be an immediately applied therapy and an adjunct to any future genetic or small molecule approaches.”

[MrRastaman]

Thank you so much for the information!

[moniquerobbins]

Thank you for doing this video & posting. Thank u also for pursing US distribution of products. Need to look into that & check status since u estimated 30 days.

[rubensluzdacunha]

I'm 52 and I have FSH Dystrophy and every time I've tried bodybuilding exercises, I've noticed that, although there's an improvement, the disease seems to increase in intensity and I feel the characteristic pain of its degenerative process a lot.

[ChrisUnlimitedGames]

This guy did research on obesity and the aging muscles and says this "could" also be applied to muscular dystrophy, but it hasn't actually been studied under any scenarios with people affected by MD, so its also likely it "could" hurt the patient.

This honestly sounds like a better worded versions of something a Doctor told me who had no clue about Muscular Dystrophy. Basically he said my disease would be cured if I started walking a mile a day and then doubling that every day. It doesn't work that way.

5 minutes into this video and we have covered the general consensus that 30 minutes of exercise a day is good. He then branches off into his actual study and it being about the aging and how people over 90 are greatly benefited, but this "could" be helpful for MD patients as well.

If the 90 year olds in this study had no underlying neuromuscular disease im sure the would greatly improve functionalitie. For those of us half that age, who also have the lovely other add ons such as chronic fatigue its going to be an even harder battle for no real improvement of function. Your muscles not processing certain proteins correctly cannot be cured with exercise, PERIOD.

Im not saying exercise isn't good to keep mobile. Im just showing my frustration with this study being shared with us that mearly resembles some of our symptoms, but really doesn't benefit us specifically.