Cited by 391Spaceflight effects on biologyMuscle Physiology and DisordersCardiovascular and exercise physiology

One Week of Bed Rest Leads to Substantial Muscle Atrophy and Induces Whole-Body Insulin Resistance in the Absence of Skeletal Muscle Lipid Accumulation

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Dirks, Marlou L., Wall, Benjamin T., van de Valk, Bas, Holloway, Tanya M., Holloway, Graham P., Chabowski, Adrian, Goossens, Gijs H., van Loon, Luc J.C.·2016·Diabetes

Abstract

Short (<10 days) periods of muscle disuse, often necessary for recovery from illness or injury, lead to various negative health consequences. The current study investigated mechanisms underlying disuse-induced insulin resistance, taking into account muscle atrophy. Ten healthy, young males (age: 23 ± 1 years; BMI: 23.0 ± 0.9 kg · m−2) were subjected to 1 week of strict bed rest. Prior to and after bed rest, lean body mass (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and quadriceps cross-sectional area (CSA; computed tomography) were assessed, and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and leg strength were determined. Whole-body insulin sensitivity was measured using a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Additionally, muscle biopsies were collected to assess muscle lipid (fraction) content and various markers of mitochondrial and vascular content. Bed rest resulted in 1.4 ± 0.2 kg lean tissue loss and a 3.2 ± 0.9% decline in quadriceps CSA (both P < 0.01). VO2peak and one-repetition maximum declined by 6.4 ± 2.3 (P < 0.05) and 6.9 ± 1.4% (P < 0.01), respectively. Bed rest induced a 29 ± 5% decrease in whole-body insulin sensitivity (P < 0.01). This was accompanied by a decline in muscle oxidative capacity, without alterations in skeletal muscle lipid content or saturation level, markers of oxidative stress, or capillary density. In conclusion, 1 week of bed rest substantially reduces skeletal muscle mass and lowers whole-body insulin sensitivity, without affecting mechanisms implicated in high-fat diet–induced insulin resistance.

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  • Skeletal muscle size and function are already reduced after a few days of bed rest.

    “Studies in adults documented that skeletal muscle size and function are already reduced after a few days of bed rest (12) and continue to decline with the length of exposure (13) until an asymptotic saturation is reached.”

    From Nonuniform loss of muscle strength and atrophy during bed rest: a systematic review (2021) · cites this paper as [12]

    The indexed copy reports that, in ten healthy young men, quadriceps size and leg strength declined after one week of bed rest. It does not establish that both were already reduced after only a few days; measurements were taken before and after the week, not during it. The matching passage has no page label. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Dirks, M. L., Wall, B. T., van de Valk, B., Holloway, T. M., Holloway, G. P., Chabowski, A., Goossens, G. H., & van Loon, L. J. C.
Affiliations
  • Maastricht University Medical Centre (NL)
  • NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastrict, the Netherlands
  • University of Guelph (CA)
  • Medical University of Białystok (PL)
Venue
Diabetes
Published
2016-06-29
Volume
65
Issue
10
Pages
2862-2875
ISSN
  • 0012-1797 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-327X
OpenAlex
W2473671273
Cited by
391
References
64
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 32 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 52 · 2020: 48 · 2019: 41 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 7
FWCI
27.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Locations
  • Diabetes (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (acceptedVersion)
  • Research Bank (Australian Catholic University) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (submittedVersion)
  • VUBIR (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Proceedings of The Physiological Society
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Spaceflight effects on biology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
Keywords
bed rest, muscle disuse, muscle atrophy, insulin resistance, lean mass loss, quadriceps cross-sectional area, peak oxygen uptake, leg strength, mitochondrial oxidative capacity, capillary density, oxidative stress, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp
MeSH terms
Adult, Bed Rest, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Male, Muscular Atrophy, Glucose Clamp Technique, Absorptiometry, Photon, Muscle, Skeletal, Quadriceps Muscle, Young Adult, Diet, High-Fat

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