slow-twitch

[sloh-twich]

adjective

Physiology.

1. of or relating to muscle fiber that contracts relatively slowly and is resistant to fatigue (fast-twitch ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of slow-twitch¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Advocates suggest subsequent millennia spent chasing down prey shaped many unique human features, including our springy arched feet, slow-twitch muscle fibers optimized for efficiency, heat-shedding bare skin, and prodigious ability to sweat.

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These included a shift in slow-twitch muscle fibres to express genes characteristic of the lost fast-twitch subtype, and increased regeneration of remaining fast-twitch fibre subtypes.

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More research is needed, but there are suggestions the point where women overtake comes when their greater distribution of slow-twitch muscle fibres - providing more resistance to fatigue - becomes an advantage.

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Females have more type I, or “slow-twitch,” muscle fibers than males do.

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According to Bohannon, this may be because women have more so-called slow-twitch muscle fibers than men, whose bodies favor fast-twitch muscles.

Read more on Salon