The evaluation of cheese vs milk for stimulating post-prandial and post-exercise muscle protein synthesis

Muscle tissue consists of proteins. These proteins are built up of small
building blocks: amino acids. By consuming enough protein in our diet, we make
sure that the body is provided with enough amino acids to facilitate muscle
protein accretion.
In order to build up muscle mass, it is generally recommended to combine
exercise training with protein-dense nutrition. A good source of protein is
milk. However, milk can also be used to produce protein-dense products like
cheese. It is of importance to gain insight into the effects of processed food
(like cheese) on muscle growth.

The aim of this research study is to look at the effects of cheese ingestion at
rest and after resistance type exercise training on muscle protein synthesis.

Randomized parallel study design.

39g milkprotein or 100g cheese (10 per group)

The burden and risks associated with participation are substantial. Insertion
of the catheters is comparable to a blood draw and could
result in a small hematoma. Muscle biopsies will be taken under local
anesthesia by an experienced physician, but may cause some
minor discomfort for maximally up to 24 h after completion. The discomfort is
comparable to muscle soreness or the pain one has
after bumping into a table. We will take 11 blood samples (10 mL) during the
experimental trial. The total amount of blood we draw is
less than half the amount of a blood donation and will be completely restored
in approximately 1 month. Participants come to the
university twice: 1 screening (3 hours) and 1 experimental trial (entire day).
For both the screening and the experimental trial,
participants have to be fasted, so they are not allowed to eat and drink
(except for water) from 22h00 the evening before. Also, 3
days prior to the experimental trial participants should keep their diet as
constant as possible, do not perform any type of intense
physical exercise, and do not consume alcohol. During the screening we will
perform a DEXA and a strength test. Furthermore, we
will ask the participants to fill out a medical questionnaire and record their
food intake and activity for 2 days prior to the experimental
trial. During the experimental trial, we will collect muscle and blood samples,
and participants have to perform resistance exercise
and consume either 39g milk protein or 100g cheese. There is no direct benefit
for the participants, only their contribution to scientific
knowledge.