Elastin, essential for mobility
is a protein that gives all body tissues (such as blood vessels, skin, connective tissue, discs, lungs, fascia…) their stretchability.
Elastin is one of the body’s most long-lasting component proteins, with an average survival time comparable to a human lifespan.
Elastin is the most stable of the extracellular matrix molecules, with negligible synthesis after skeletal maturity.
However, loss of tissue elasticity is one of the hallmarks of aging. It has long been recognized to be associated with fragmentation and thinning of elastin structures in skin and blood vessels and recent work in our laboratory shows that the fine fibers of cartilage elastin are broken in osteoarthritis. Elastic tissue (elastin) calcifies focally in atherosclerotic plaques. Elastic tissue generally contains a significant amount of lipid, particularly in the vicinity of atherosclerotic plaques.
In diabetes and other diseases with a high amount of oxidative stress, the mechanical properties of elastin change. The principle observation is fibre breakage associated with attack by free radicals, which results in skin deformation and loss of elasticity.
There is no prove that nutrition, massage or other manual techniques have an influence on elastin synthesis or function. It is a constitutional quality that is embedded in our DNA.