Table 1.

Skeletal muscle size and mass

	Young Reference	Old Control	Old Nitrite
Body mass, g	30.1 ± 2.1*	33.6 ± 3.2	33.1 ± 2.4
Muscle mass, mg
Quadriceps	170 ± 30	145 ± 21	169 ± 32
Gastrocnemius	146 ± 13	135 ± 31	134 ± 22
Cross-sectional area, mm2
Quadriceps	22.1 ± 1.31	17.2 ± 4.66	18.6 ± 4.30

^*P < 0.05 between young reference (n = 6) and old animals (n = 10 per group).