The Largest Organ in Your Body: Muscle

July 17, 2024 TruthUSA

We often see muscles as the source of our strength and physical appearance but regard organs as more essential, responsible for functions such as circulating blood and digesting food.

However, muscles do far more than move the body. They regulate metabolism, support the immune system, and influence mental health. In fact, muscles should be considered organs in their own right, Dr. Sandeep Palakodeti, chief medical officer of Rebel Health Alliance, told The Epoch Times in an interview.

“By classifying muscles as organs, we start to appreciate all the roles they play, not just in movement but in regulating our body’s health at a systemic level,” he said.

This broader view of muscles as organs can reshape our understanding of their vital contributions to health and well-being.

Muscle as an Organ

For years, the skin has been widely accepted as the body’s largest organ. Recent research challenges this idea, suggesting a new contender for the title. Dr. Bente Pedersen, professor of integrative medicine at Copenhagen University Hospital, asserts that “skeletal muscle is the largest organ in the body.”

Biology professor Walter Jahn told The Epoch Times in an email that an organ is defined as “the collaboration of multiple tissues performing a common function.” This definition leads us to reconsider the role of muscles beyond their conventional understanding.

“Muscle is one of the most dynamic and plastic tissues of the human body,” Dr. Walter Frontera, a muscle physiology expert, told The Epoch Times in an email. According to Dr. Frontera, muscles regulate body temperature, manage energy consumption, and perform other vital functions.