One of the ways old age affects the body is via changes to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a protein that helps activate muscle repair. That led us to wonder whether a compound with strong antioxidant capacity might protect HGF, either by preventing nitration or by compensating for the functional loss it causes." In chemical binding studies, both GSSSG and LASSS were shown to effectively suppress nitration at two key vulnerable spots on the protein. Muscle loss can lead to unsteadiness in old age. Sarcopenia is the technical term for age-related muscle loss, which can start from your 30s and tends to accelerate from your 60s.