Clinical Research Directory

Diet Synergy in Muscle Protein Synthesis

In the present semi-crossover randomized design, 15 recreationally active young adults (19-40 y) will receive stable isotope tracer infusions and perform a single bout of resistance exercise. Immediately after exercise, participants will ingest either 1 medium russet potato with skins and 2 ounce-equivalent lean ground beef combination (274 kcals, 19.3 g protein, 5 g fat, 37 g carbohydrates, and 4 g fiber), 2 slices of white bread and beef combination (262 kcals, 19.8 g protein, 6.8 g fat, 28 g carbohydrates, and 1.8 g fiber) or 2 ounce-equivalent beef (93% lean meat/7% fat; 110 kcals, 14.8 g protein, and 5 g fat). Repeated blood and muscle biopsies will be collected to determine whole body leucine kinetics, amino acid concentrations, anabolic signaling and myofibrillar protein synthesis rates during the trials.

Nutritional and Physical Intervention During Bed Rest

Hospitalization often involves long periods of bed rest and reduced nutritional intake, which can lead to skeletal muscle loss and anabolic resistance. These effects slow recovery and increase the risk of complications, long-term disability and healthcare costs. Animal-based proteins are effective at stimulating muscle protein synthesis (MPS) because they contain all essential amino acids and have high bioavailability, but they are less sustainable. Plant-based proteins are more environmentally friendly but may be less effective for MPS due to lower essential amino acid content and lower digestibility. Combining different plant proteins may improve their quality, yet their impact during bed rest is still unclear. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may help counteract anabolic resistance by mimicking exercise, but its long-term effects in bedridden individuals are not well studied. This prospective, randomized, controlled trial aims to assess the effects of a nutritional intervention (plant-dominant versus dairy-based protein) and a physical stimulus (NMES versus non-NMES) on MPS during 4 days of bed rest in healthy young adults.

Enhanced Protein Intake to Support Muscle Protein Synthesis in ICU

Rationale - Critically ill patients often experience severe skeletal muscle wasting due to an imbalance between muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and degradation, contributing to long-term impairments such as ICU-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) and post-intensive care syndrome (PICS). Effective interventions to mitigate muscle wasting remain a critical unmet need. Protein intake has been identified as a potential modulator of MPS, but anabolic resistance and conflicting evidence regarding optimal protein intake necessitate further investigation. Objective/Hypothesis - This study aims to evaluate the effect of a normal (target: 0.8 g protein/kg/day) versus elevated (target: 1.3 g protein/kg/day) protein intake on MPS rates over four days in critically ill patients. Population - 26 critically ill patients who are suitable for enteral nutrition, mechanically ventilated (min 3 days), and stay at the ICU for at least 7 days will be included. Method: Patients are randomly assigned to two groups (normal or higher protein intake). Muscle biopsies and blood samples will be collected to assess muscle protein synthesis rates.

The Effectiveness of a Diet With Beef as Key Protein Component Versus a Plant-Based Diet to Support Integrated Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Healthy Older Individuals

Muscles are composed out of proteins. These proteins in turn are composed out of smaller building blocks, called amino acids. By consuming a sufficient amount of dietary protein, a sufficient amount of amino acids become available to build new muscle proteins. The body's ability to build these new muscle proteins is of great importance to maintain muscle strength and function. Previous research suggests that a meal containing proteins from meat results in a better stimulation of the body's ability to build muscle proteins, when compared to a meal containing only plant-based proteins. However, these previous studies have only been performed following the ingestion of a single meal. As a result it is currently unknown how the muscles respond to a more prolonged ingestion of a diet containing animal/meat products, in comparison to a plant-based diet. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how fast new muscle proteins are being build when consuming a diet containing animal/meat products, in comparison to a plant-based (vegan) diet.