Investigators at University of Ghent Describe Findings in Applied Physiology (Does One Biopsy Cut It? Revisiting Human Muscle Fiber Type Composition Variability Using Repeated Biopsies In the Vastus Lateralis and Gastrocnemius Medialis).

A recent study conducted at the University of Ghent in Belgium explored the variability of human muscle fiber type composition in the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius medialis muscles. The researchers found that three biopsies with a minimum of 200 counted fibers are necessary to estimate the vastus lateralis fiber type composition within +/- 10 percentage points. It was also noted that caution should be exercised when extrapolating muscle fiber type proportions from one muscle to another. The study was supported by FWO and published in the Journal of Applied Physiology. [Extracted from the article]