Does MOTS-c give you energy?
Not shown in people. The evidence is from mice, where MOTS-c improved physical performance at three ages, which is a different measure from felt energy.
Mitochondrial-derived peptideUpdated
Short answer
Not shown in people. The evidence is from mice, where MOTS-c improved physical performance at three ages, which is a different measure from felt energy.[1]
In humans the finding runs the other way: exercise raises the body's own MOTS-c, in muscle and in the blood.[1]
In a trial of healthy people, endurance exercise only produced a trend toward higher circulating MOTS-c.[2]
The mouse work describes MOTS-c as acting mainly on skeletal muscle and activating AMPK, a cellular energy sensor.[3]
More questions on MOTS-c
More on MOTS-c
Sources
- 1MOTS-c is an exercise-induced mitochondrial-encoded regulator of age-dependent physical decline and muscle homeostasis.Nature communications · 2021PMID 33473109Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 2Acute endurance exercise stimulates circulating levels of mitochondrial-derived peptides in humans.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2021PMID 34351816Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 3The mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c promotes metabolic homeostasis and reduces obesity and insulin resistance.Cell metabolism · 2015PMID 25738459Accessed 2 Oct 2026
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