The Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phase and Protein Dose on Muscle Protein Synthesis

The Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phase and Protein Dose on Muscle Protein Synthesis in Response to Exercise in Young Females

Adaptation to resistance exercise requires maximal rates of muscle protein synthesis, which can be achieved with post-exercise ingestion of ~20g of protein. These recommendations are based on studies in males and responses in females may vary.

Muscle recovery is related to the ability to build new muscle protein from amino acids (muscle protein synthesis). This response is thought to be impacted in females by hormones that fluctuate across different phases of the menstrual cycle. However, the effect of menstrual cycle phase on muscle protein synthesis is not known.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Muscle Protein Synthesis
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Dose of protein; Other: Menstrual cycle phase

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

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

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• BMI between 18 and 30
• Recreationally active
• Regular menstrual cycle

Exclusion Criteria:

• Smoking
• Metabolic disease
• Any motor disorder
• Use of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, during the study.
• Pomegranate, milk or lidocaine allergy
• Taken contraceptives in the past 3 months
• Irregular menstrual cycle (less than 9 cycles per year and a length not between 21-35 days)
• Post-menopausal women
• Pregnancy and lactation

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

6

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Protein dose 1 and early	Dietary supplement: Dose of protein; One of three protein doses provided; Other: Menstrual cycle phase; Different phase of the menstrual cycle
Experimental: Protein dose 1 and late	Dietary supplement: Dose of protein; One of three protein doses provided; Other: Menstrual cycle phase; Different phase of the menstrual cycle
Experimental: Protein dose 2 and early	Dietary supplement: Dose of protein; One of three protein doses provided; Other: Menstrual cycle phase; Different phase of the menstrual cycle
Experimental: Protein dose 2 and late	Dietary supplement: Dose of protein; One of three protein doses provided; Other: Menstrual cycle phase; Different phase of the menstrual cycle
Experimental: Protein dose 3 and early	Dietary supplement: Dose of protein; One of three protein doses provided; Other: Menstrual cycle phase; Different phase of the menstrual cycle
Experimental: Protein dose 3 and late	Dietary supplement: Dose of protein; One of three protein doses provided; Other: Menstrual cycle phase; Different phase of the menstrual cycle

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Muscle protein synthesis	The rate of synthesis of new muscle protein	7.5 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Plasma amino acid kinetics	The appearance of amino acids in the circulation.	7.5 hours
Serum insulin concentrations	Basal and postprandial concentrations of serum insulin	7.5 hours
Blood flow	Basal and postprandial blood flow using ultrasound	7.5 hours
Sex hormone concentrations	Serum oestrogen and progesterone	5 minutes
Gene expression	Gene expression of muscle samples using RNA extraction	7.5 hours
Blood glucose	Basal and postprandial concentrations of blood glucose	7.5 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Exeter
• Collaborators: P.volve
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Francis Stephens, University of Exeter

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 16, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 28, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): March 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 7, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 4, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): January 5, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 24, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 23, 2024
• Last Verified: July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 21-10-20-B-03

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