Peanut Protein Supplementation to Augment Muscle Growth and Improve Markers of Muscle Quality and Health in Older Adults

Open-label Randomized Controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of Peanut Protein Powder Supplement on Muscle Growth, Muscle Quality and Other Health Biomarkers in Older Adults Engaging in a Ten-week, Whole-body Resistance Training Program

This study will evaluate the adaptations in skeletal muscle that occur in response to 10 weeks of weight training with or without peanut protein supplementation in older adult men and women.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sarcopenia; Aging
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Peanut Protein Powder; Behavioral: Full body resistance training

Detailed Description

Aging is associated with declines in muscle mass, physical strength and physical function. Adequate quality protein intake in aging adults is critical to preventing functional decline. Peanuts provide a unique blend of amino acids that can provide several health benefits to aging adults. While supplementing with peanut protein (PP) powder as part of a resistance training program may increase myofibrillar protein synthesis (i.e., the gold standard molecular assessment in deciphering a muscle-building response), and improve skeletal muscle quality and body composition, no study to date has made this determination.

This is a two-phase study using both novel and conventional methods to assess how PP supplementation affects muscle tissue in older individuals who engage in resistance training. These two phases will be conducted as part of a 10-week randomized controlled trial in which men and women aged 50 years and older (n=60), will be stratified by gender and randomized to a resistance training intervention (whole body, two days per week) with PP powder (72g daily; n=15 males, n=15 females) provided during the intervention (immediate group, IG) or after the intervention (wait-list control, WLC, n=15 males, n=15 females). The aims of this study are to determine the acute (deuterium oxide tracer) and chronic (peripheral quantitative computed tomography) effects of PP during resistance training on skeletal muscle myofibrillar protein synthesis rates, changes in skeletal muscle size and quality, changes in whole and appendicular body composition (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry), changes in inflammatory markers and the fecal microbiome.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 41
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Alabama
    • Auburn, Alabama, United States, 36849
      • Auburn University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 50 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• body mass index (body mass/height squared) less than 35 kg/m2
• resting blood pressure averaging less than 140/90 mmHg (with or without medication)

Exclusion Criteria:

• known peanut allergy
• actively participating in resistance training for more than 2 days/week
• any known overt cardiovascular or metabolic disease
• metal implants that will interfere with x-ray procedures
• medically necessary radiation exposure in the last six months (except dental x-ray)
• any medical condition that would contradict participating in an exercise program, giving blood or donating a skeletal muscle biopsy (i.e. blood clotting disorder or taking blood thinners)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Immediate Intervention Group; Participants will complete 10 weeks of twice-weekly whole body resistance training. Peanut protein powder (72g/day) will be provided for daily consumption during the study period	Dietary supplement: Peanut Protein Powder; Peanut protein powder will be provided to participants who will be instructed to consume 72g daily, mixed with water; Behavioral: Full body resistance training; Participants will undergo supervised resistance training two times per week (5 exercises, 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per set)
Active Comparator: Wait-list Control Group; Participants will complete 10 weeks of twice-weekly whole body resistance training. Peanut protein powder will be provided after the study period	Behavioral: Full body resistance training; Participants will undergo supervised resistance training two times per week (5 exercises, 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per set)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in acute myofibrillar protein synthesis rates	Change in right leg vastus lateralis myofibrillar protein synthesis rates using the integrated deuterium oxide technique from biopsies immediately before and 24 hours after resistance exercise	24 hours
Change in mid-thigh skeletal muscle area and quality	peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) cross-sectional image of mid-right thigh assessed for total muscle cross-sectional area, subcutaneous adipose tissue area, total intra- and inter-muscular adipose tissue area and overall muscle density	0-10 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in whole-body and appendicular body composition	dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)	0-10 weeks
Change in Type I and II Muscle Fiber Cross-Sectional Area	Muscle biopsy immunofluorescent staining for determination of type I and type II muscle fiber cross sectional area (fCSA) as a cellular determinant of skeletal muscle hypertrophy	0-10 weeks
Change in leg extensor isokinetic dynamometry	maximal isokinetic right leg extensions on an isokinetic dynamometer (BioDex)	0-10 weeks
Change in inflammatory biomarkers	serum C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, plasma 8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine	0-10 weeks
Change in fecal microbiome composition	alpha- and beta-diversity of 16S bacterial rDNA	0-10 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Auburn University
• Collaborators: Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine; The Peanut Institute
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Michael Roberts, PhD, Auburn University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Lamb DA, Moore JH, Smith MA, Vann CG, Osburn SC, Ruple BA, Fox CD, Smith KS, Altonji OM, Power ZM, Cerovsky AE, Ross CO, Cao AT, Goodlett MD, Huggins KW, Fruge AD, Young KC, Roberts MD. The effects of resistance training with or without peanut protein supplementation on skeletal muscle and strength adaptations in older individuals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2020 Dec 14;17(1):66. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00397-y.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 26, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 9, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 9, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): July 11, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 12, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 10, 2021
• Last Verified: January 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: muscle protein synthesis; resistance training; protein supplementation; skeletal muscle physiology; inflammatory cytokines; fecal microbiome; plant protein
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Neurologic Manifestations; Neuromuscular Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Muscular Atrophy; Atrophy; Sarcopenia
• Other Study ID Numbers: 19-249

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No