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Sustainable proteins for muscle maintenance

Prof. L.J.C. van Loon

Maastricht University Medical Centre+Maastricht, the Netherlands

Maastricht, May 16, 2019

Fractional muscle protein synthesis

1-2 % per day

(0.04 – 0.14 %.h-1)

Muscle reconditioning

Lance Armstrong Jay Cutler

Muscle deconditioning

- immobilisation

- sarcopenia

- cancer cachexia

- COPD

- type 2 diabetes

- cardiovascular disease

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Muscle maintenance Main anabolic stimuli

Nutrition is an anabolic stimulus Amino acids

Amino acids stimulate protein synthesisPost-prandial muscle protein synthesis

� protein digestion

� amino acid absorption

� plasma amino acid availability

� hormonal response

� postprandial perfusion

� muscle protein signaling proteins

� myofibrillar protein synthesis

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Research methods Stable isotope tracers

Post-prandial protein synthesis

Groen et al., PLOS one, 2015

Post-prandial protein synthesis

Groen et al., PLOS one, 2015

Post-prandial protein synthesis

- amount of protein

- source of protein

- macronutrients

- timing

- food preparation

- body position

Source of protein

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Milk and Beef

Burd et al., Am J Clin Nutr, 2015

Plant based proteins

van Vliet et al., J Nutr, 2015

Plant based proteins

van Vliet et al., J Nutr, 2015

Muscle gain on plant based protein consumption

Soy

Tang et al., J Appl Physiol, 2009Yang et al., Nutr Metab, 2012

Wheat

Gorissen et al., J Nutr, 2016

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Plant derived proteins

� Nitrogen content

� Essential amino acid content

� Leucine

� Methionine

� Lysine

Essential amino acid content

Gorissen et al., Amino Acids, 2019

Leucine content

Gorissen et al., Amino Acids, 2019

Wheat

Gorissen et al., J Nutr, 2016

Plant and animal derived protein sources

Gorissen et al., J. Nutr, 2016

Dose response effect

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Plant and animal derived protein sources

Gorissen et al., Amino Acids, 2019

Anabolic properties of plant based proteins

Alternative protein sources

Churchward-Venne et al., unpublished

Insect proteins

Churchward-Venne et al., Nutrition Reviews, in Press

Blattodea (5

)

Coleoptera (65)

Diptera (15)

Hemiptera (27)

Hymenoptera (4

6)

Isoptera (1

6)

Lepidoptera (64)

Odonata (2)

Orthoptera (7

5)

Beef (edible fle

sh)

Egg (hen, w

hole)

Milk (c

ow, paste

urized)

Soybean (s

eed)0

20

40

60

80

100

Aver

age p

rote

in co

nten

t [%

](b

ased

on

dry m

atte

r)

Meals Conclusions

Protein ingestion stimulates muscle protein synthesis rates

Differences in anabolic properties of protein sources

Anabolic properties of amino acid and protein mixtures

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Collaborators and sponsors

M3 research unit

www.m3-research.nl

https://youtu.be/mCRzi1tObe0