For immediate release:
Dr. Layne Norton along with colleagues Dr. Gabriel Wilson, Dr. Donald Layman, Dr. Christopher Moulton, and Dr. Peter Garlick have published a new manuscript that was accepted in the journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, a premier journal for progressive thinking in metabolism. The research paper was a part of Dr. Norton’s PhD thesis from the University of Illinois. Briefly, the researchers fed isocaloric (same calories), isonitrogenous (same amount of protein) meals for 2 weeks that only varied in the protein source used (either wheat, soy, egg, or whey). At the end of the 2 week period the researchers fed a test meal assess postprandial changes in muscle protein synthesis, plasma amino acids, and translation initiation (mTOR anabolic signaling).
The researchers found that only animals fed egg and whey increased postprandial muscle protein synthesis and this was associated with postprandial increases in plasma leucine. Interestingly, the increases in postprandial plasma leucine and muscle protein anabolism were strongly associated with the leucine content of the protein sources. In an effort to further validate this hypothesis, the researchers compared feeding wheat vs. whey protein but also adding a 3rd group that was fed wheat protein supplemented with leucine to equal the leucine content of whey protein. Interestingly, by equalizing the leucine content of wheat with whey, the researchers were able to produce the same effects on muscle protein synthesis. This led the researchers to conclude that the leucine content of complete meals is an important determinant of post meal muscle protein anabolism.
Please view the full paper here:
