Addition of Carbohydrate or Alanine to an Essential Amino Acid Mixture Does Not Enhance Human Skeletal Muscle Protein Anabolism
Open accessAbstract
In humans, essential amino acids (EAAs) stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) with no effect on muscle protein breakdown (MPB). Insulin can stimulate MPS, and carbohydrates (CHOs) and insulin decrease MPB. Net protein balance (NB; indicator of overall anabolism) is greatest when MPS is maximized and MPB is minimized. To determine whether adding CHO or a gluconeogenic amino acid to EAAs would improve NB compared with EAA alone, young men and women (n = 21) ingested 10 g EAA alone, with 30 g sucrose (EAA+CHO), or with 30 g alanine (EAA+ALA). The fractional synthetic rate and phenylalanine kinetics (MPS, MPB, NB) were assessed by stable isotopic methods on muscle biopsies at baseline and 60 and 180 min following nutrient ingestion. Insulin increased 30 min postingestion in all groups and remained elevated in the EAA+CHO and EAA+ALA groups for 60 and 120 min, respectively. The fractional synthetic rate increased from baseline at 60 min in all groups (P < 0.05; EAA = 0.053 ± 0.018 to 0.090 ± 0.039% · h(-1); EAA+ALA = 0.051 ± 0.005 to 0.087 ± 0.015% · h(-1); EAA+CHO = 0.049 ± 0.006 to 0.115 ± 0.024% · h(-1)). MPS and NB peaked at 30 min in the EAA and EAA+CHO groups but at 60 min in the EAA+ALA group and NB was elevated above baseline longer in the EAA+ALA group than in the EAA group (P < 0.05). Although responses were more robust in the EAA+CHO group and prolonged in the EAA+ALA group, AUCs were similar among all groups for fractional synthetic rate, MPS, MPB, and NB. Because the overall muscle protein anabolic response was not improved in either the EAA+ALA or EAA+CHO group compared with EAA, we conclude that protein nutritional interventions to enhance muscle protein anabolism do not require such additional energy.
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Adding a non-pharmacological dose of carbohydrates to a protein synthesis activating dose of proteins has no additive effect on FSR.
“Regardless of potential differences in insulinemia, adding a non‐pharmacological dose of carbohydrates to a protein synthesis activating dose of proteins (15–30 g) has no additive effect on FSR (Glynn et al., 2013; Hamer et al., 2013; Koopman et al., 2007; Staples et al., 2011), our primary outcome.”
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- Authors
- Glynn, E. L., Fry, C. S., Timmerman, K. L., Drummond, M. J., Volpi, E., & Rasmussen, B. B.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (US)
- Corresponding author
- Rasmussen, Blake B.
- ORCID
- Venue
- The Journal of Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-03
- Volume
- 143
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 307-314
- ISSN
- 0022-3166 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3713020
- OpenAlex
- W2152053288
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 3.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (AR049877)
- Clinical and Translational Science Award (UL-1TR000071)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NIH T32-HD07539)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Muscle Physiology and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Keywords
- essential amino acids, carbohydrate intake, alanine, muscle protein synthesis, muscle protein degradation, net protein balance, insulin, fractional synthesis rate, phenylalanine kinetics, skeletal muscle protein turnover, amino acid kinetics, muscle biopsy, stable isotopes, sucrose
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Alanine, Amino Acids, Essential, Biopsy, Diet, Female, Humans, Insulin, Male, Muscle Proteins, Sucrose, Protein Biosynthesis, Muscle, Skeletal, Dietary Sucrose, Area Under Curve
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