Prolonged muscle protein synthetic response to the ingestion of a large amount of protein

Protein is an essential stimulus for the recovery and growth of skeletal muscle
tissue in athletes Previous research has shown that the intake of 20-25 gram
protein after exercise can maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis in the
first 4 hours following exercise. However, there is very little insight in the
ability of larger amounts of dietary protein to stimulate muscle protein
synthesis over a longer period after exercise.

The aim of this study will be to assess the ability of two different amounts of
protein to stimulate muscle protein synthesis during a 12 h period following
resistance exercise in a group of healthy young men.

Randomized, single-blind (researchers blinded), controlled, parallel,
intervention study.

All subjects will perform a single bout of whole-body resistance-type exercise.
Subsequently, subjects will ingest a beverage containing 0, 25, or 100 g of
protein

The subjects will participate in 1 screening and 1 test day.

They will be required to fill out a medical questionnaire during the screening
session. Also a bio-electrical impedance measurement will be performed. There
are no risks associated with the bio-electrical impedance measurement . During
the screening session, a maximal strength tests will be performed for 4
exercises.

The subjects will be instructed to record their physical activity and food
intake for 2 days prior to the trial in diaries. In addition, the subjects will
be instructed not to perform any intense physical labor in the 48 h prior to
the test day, and in the 24 h prior to the test day not to consume any alcohol,
or to consume caffeine in the 12 h prior to the test day. Prior to the test
day, subjects will consume a standardized meal that will be provided by the
researchers.

On the test day a venous catheter will be placed for repeated blood draws. The
total amount of blood drawn (16 x 10 ml) is much lower compared to a blood
donation (500 ml). The subjects will be continuously infused during the entire
test day. The labelled, nonradioactive amino acid tracers are produced
according to the GMP standard and are safe for human application. The subjects
will perform a single 1 h session of resistance exercise on the test day. There
are no major risks associated with the resistance exercise session, other than
the expected risks associated with exercise performance (such as fatigue,
fainting and an abnormal blood pressure). This will then be followed by the
intake of an experimental test drink that contains milk protein, or a placebo
drink. The protein drinks contain protein that are normally present in
nutrition (milk) and are safe for consumption. Following the ingestion of the
test drink, subjects will remain in a rested state and won't consume any other
nutrients during a 12 h period. Prior to intake of the drink, and 4, 8 and 12
hours following intake, a muscle biopsy will be taken.