Leucine partially protects muscle mass and function during bed rest in middle-aged adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Physical inactivity triggers a rapid loss of muscle mass and function in older adults. Middle-aged adults show few phenotypic signs of aging yet may be more susceptible to inactivity than younger adults.

Objective

The aim was to determine whether leucine, a stimulator of translation initiation and skeletal muscle protein synthesis (MPS), can protect skeletal muscle health during bed rest.

Design

We used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess changes in skeletal MPS, cellular signaling, body composition, and skeletal muscle function in middle-aged adults (n = 19; age ± SEM: 52 ± 1 y) in response to leucine supplementation (LEU group: 0.06 g ∙ kg(-1) ∙ meal(-1)) or an alanine control (CON group) during 14 d of bed rest.

Results

SUBMITTER: English KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4733256 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature