Nutrition, Healthy Clinical Trial
Official title:
The Impact of Plant-based Protein Blends, With or Without Resistance Exercise, on Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Older and Women
Lifestyle interventions such as physical activity and dietary habits are the most effective non-pharmacological strategies to combat the loss of muscle mass and the development of mobility limitations with aging. Resistance training (i.e., strengthening exercise) provides a strong stimulus to build muscle mass, and protein provides the essential building blocks. Therefore, an individual's dietary practices can influence the effectiveness of an exercise program - when combined, they work together to increase the muscle-building response. However, not all proteins are equally effective at bringing about muscle growth. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a higher-quality plant-based protein blend with lifting weight on muscle building in older men and women.
Dietary interventions are similarly pertinent in preventing skeletal muscle mass losses with aging. Dietary protein ingestion provides the necessary substrates (i.e., amino acids) essential for skeletal muscle development, health, and, thus, maintenance of muscle mass. Protein ingestion and resistance exercise training (RET) increase muscle protein synthesis (MPS), but when combined, they act synergistically to maximize MPS. Importantly, not all protein sources are equivalent in their ability to support increased rates of MPS. A recent study confirmed that a blend of plant proteins at a large dose of 30 g resulted in similar MPS as 30g of milk protein in young men. However, the impact of a unique plant-derived protein blend on MPS in older individuals is yet to be determined. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to address that knowledge gap by assessing the skeletal muscle anabolic potential of a plant-based protein blend (i.e., corn and pea) on rates of MPS, with or without additive exercise in older men and women. ;