Nutritional and hormonal control of muscle growth and fat deposition

This review will consider the processes of skeletal muscle (myogenesis) and fat (adipogenesis) development and the factors involved in regulating them in a variety of species. In particular, the effects of hormones and maternal nutrition during different stages of pregnancy on numbers and types of skeletal muscle fibres will be considered, along with possible underlying mechanisms. Similarly, effects of maternal nutrition on adiposity will also be considered and the relationship between skeletal muscle (fibre number and type) and adiposity. The implications for both agriculture and medicine will be considered.