MSTN and sarcopenia: Recent surveys indicate that polymorphisms in genes controlling muscle mass in humans and mammals (Bonaldo and Sandri, 2013; Piccirillo et al., 2013), including the genes encoding insulin growth factor 1 (IGF1), myostatin, follistatin and components of the activin receptor protein complex, are linked to increased risk of sarcopenia (Tan et al., 2012).