Exploring Muscle Breakdown During Exercise Recovery (EMBER)

This study will allow researchers to explore how muscle responds to heavy exercise. The researchers will characterise rates of muscle protein breakdown and synthesis 24hours after heavy exercise with a post exercise protein polyphenol or placebo supplementation. This will inform strategies to help people recover from heavy exercise.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy; Muscle Damage
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Recover Vegan Protein Supplement; Dietary supplement: Placebo

Detailed Description

It is well known that resistance exercise increases rates of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown, with the rise in synthesis greater in magnitude and duration. The time course of rates of muscle protein synthesis increase dramatically 24-72h following eccentric exercise, even in a non-exercised control leg. This data is consistent with a much larger increase in muscle protein breakdown than previously thought. However, the response of muscle protein breakdown following damaging eccentric exercise, and its relationship with muscle protein synthesis, has not yet been elucidated. Moreover, it is unclear whether a protein and polyphenol nutritional intervention influence rates of muscle protein breakdown to accelerate recovery. This study will allow researchers to test the hypothesis that eccentric exercise increases rates of muscle protein breakdown independently of muscle contraction per se. If this hypothesis is supported, it will highlight that recovery strategies from muscle damage should also target supporting muscle protein breakdown.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Devon
    • Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom, EX1 2LU
      • University of Exeter

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 40 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Recreationally active
• 18-40 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

• Regular and structured involvement in resistance training
• Inactive participants
• Habitual dietary protein intake <0.8g/kg bw/day and >2.0g/kg bw/day
• Regular use of nutritional supplements known to suppress inflammation or modulate protein metabolism Any diagnosed metabolic conditions (diabetes), cardiovascular disease or hypertension
• Current musculoskeletal injury
• Chronic use of anti-inflammatory medicines
• Any known disorders in muscle metabolism
• Individuals with an allergy to egg, fish, wheat or soy ingredients as the product is manufactured in a facility that contains these ingredients
• Allergy to lidocaine
• Having received or ingested a stable isotope tracer containing 15N in the past
• A personal or family history of epilepsy, seizures or schizophrenia
• Stomach bleeding or stomach ulcer
• Kidney failure
• Liver problems, such as fibrosis, cirrhosis or failure
• Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis
• Chickenpox or shingles
• Pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• Any diagnosed cardiovascular disease (e.g. deep vein thrombosis) or hypertension.
• Any diagnosed metabolic impairment (e.g. type 1 or 2 Diabetes)
• Recent (within the last 6 months) or current musculoskeletal injury (leg fracture)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo	Dietary supplement: Placebo; Post exercise placebo supplement (32g maltodextrin)
Active Comparator: Vegan Protein	Dietary supplement: Recover Vegan Protein Supplement; Post exercise protein supplement (26g pea protein)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Muscle protein breakdown rate	Muscle protein breakdown rate (FBR, measured in %/h) 24hours post eccentric exercise.	1hour

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Muscle protein synthesis rate	Muscle protein synthesis rate (FSR, measured in %/h) 24hours post eccentric exercise.	3hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Exeter
• Collaborators: Beachbody

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 8, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 1, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 9, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 9, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): April 12, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 23, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 21, 2023
• Last Verified: March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Skeletal muscle; Muscle protein synthesis; Postabsorptive; Muscle protein breakdown
• Other Study ID Numbers: 210203-B-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No