The Impact of Protein Source and Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation on Muscle Protein Synthesis During Bed Rest
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrollment
- 20
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Muscle protein synthesis rate
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Hospitalization often involves long periods of bed rest and reduced nutritional intake, which can lead to skeletal muscle loss and anabolic resistance. These effects slow recovery and increase the risk of complications, long-term disability and healthcare costs. Animal-based proteins are effective at stimulating muscle protein synthesis (MPS) because they contain all essential amino acids and have high bioavailability, but they are less sustainable. Plant-based proteins are more environmentally friendly but may be less effective for MPS due to lower essential amino acid content and lower digestibility. Combining different plant proteins may improve their quality, yet their impact during bed rest is still unclear. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) may help counteract anabolic resistance by mimicking exercise, but its long-term effects in bedridden individuals are not well studied.
This prospective, randomized, controlled trial aims to assess the effects of a nutritional intervention (plant-dominant versus dairy-based protein) and a physical stimulus (NMES versus non-NMES) on MPS during 4 days of bed rest in healthy young adults.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Basic Science
- Masking
- Single (Participant)
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 35 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Healthy (assessed based on routine medical questionnaire)
- •Male and female sexes
- •Aged between 18 and 35 years inclusive
- •BMI between 18.5 and 30.0 kg/m²
Exclusion Criteria
- •Vegan diet
- •Allergies or intolerance to cow's milk products, fish, soy, and/or pea protein
- •Galactosemia
- •Smoking on a weekly basis (i.e., every week)
- •Diagnosed diabetes mellitus
- •Chronic corticosteroid use
- •Severe kidney and/or liver failure
- •Bleeding disorders, including anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy
- •Currently pregnant
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Muscle protein synthesis rate
Time Frame: 1-4 days
Muscle protein synthesis rate after 4 day exclusive enteral tube feeding that is nutritionally complete with plant-dominant proteins versus animal-based proteins. This is measured using the deuterated water (2H2O) method.
Secondary Outcomes
- Muscle protein synthesis rate(1-4 days)
- Muscle fiber size in µm²(Final intervention day (after 4 days of enteral feeding and 4 days of NMES))
- Proportion (%) of muscle fiber types (type I and type II)(Final intervention day (after 4 days of enteral feeding and 4 days of NMES))
- Myonuclei quantity(Final intervention day (after 4 days of enteral feeding and 4 days of NMES))
- Mitochondrial Respiratory Capacity in Human Skeletal Muscle Assessed by High-Resolution Respirometry(Final intervention day (after 4 days of enteral feeding and 4 days of NMES))