Creatine supplementation enhances muscle force recovery after eccentrically-induced muscle damage in healthy individuals

Background  

Eccentric exercise-induced damage leads to reductions in muscle force, increased soreness, and impaired muscle function. Creatine monohydrate's (Cr) ergogenic potential is well established; however few studies have directly examined the effects of Cr supplementation on recovery after damage. We examined the effects of Cr supplementation on muscle proteins and force recovery after eccentrically-induced muscle damage in healthy individuals.     

Effects of carbohydrate, branched-chain amino acids, and arginine in recovery period on the subsequent performance in wrestlers

Τhe aim of this study was to examine the effects of the consumption of foods of various glycemic index values on performance, β-endorphin levels and substrate (fat and carbohydrate) utilization during prolonged exercise. Eight untrained healthy males underwent, in a randomized counterbalanced design, three experimental conditions under which they received carbohydrates (1.5 gr. kg^-1 of body weight) of low glycemic index (LGI), high glycemic index (HGI) or placebo. Food was administered 30 min prior to exercise. Subjects cycled for 60 min at an intensity corresponding to 65% of VO₂max, which was increased to 90% of VO_2max, then they cycled until exhaustion and the time to exhaustion was recorded. Blood was collected prior to food consumption, 15 min prior to exercise, 0, 20, 40, and 60 min into exercise as well as at exhaustion. Blood was analyzed for β-endorphin, glucose, insulin, and lactate. The mean time to exhaustion did not differ between the three conditions (LGI = 3.2 ± 0.9 min; HGI = 2.9 ± 0.9 min; placebo = 2.7 ± 0.7 min). There was a significant interaction in glucose and insulin response (P < 0.05) with HGI exhibiting higher values before exercise. β-endorphin increased significantly (P < 0.05) at the end of exercise without, however, a significant interaction between the three conditions. Rate of perceived exertion, heart rate, ventilation, lactate, respiratory quotient and substrate oxidation rate did not differ between the three conditions. The present study indicates that ingestion of foods of different glycemic index 30 min prior to one hour cycling exercise does not result in significant changes in exercise performance, β-endorphin levels as well as carbohydrate and fat oxidation during exercise.     

No effect of short-term amino acid supplementation on variables related to skeletal muscle damage in 100 km ultra-runners - a randomized controlled trial

Background  

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of short-term supplementation of amino acids before and during a 100 km ultra-marathon on variables of skeletal muscle damage and muscle soreness. We hypothesized that the supplementation of amino acids before and during an ultra-marathon would lead to a reduction in the variables of skeletal muscle damage, a decrease in muscle soreness and an improved performance.     

Conjugated linoleic acid supplementation in humans: effects on fatty acid and glycerol kinetics

Recent studies with mouse adipocytes have shown that dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may reduce body fat by increasing lipolysis. The present study examined the effect of CLA supplementation on fatty acid and glycerol kinetics in six healthy, adult women who were participating in a controlled metabolic ward study. These women were fed six CLA capsules per day (3.9 g/d) for 64 d following a baseline period of 30 d. The subjects were confined to a metabolic suite for the entire 94-d study, where diet and activity were controlled and held constant. The rate of appearance (Ra) of glycerol, which indicates lipolytic rates, was similar at baseline and after 4 wk of CLA supplementation at rest (1.87±0.21 and 2.00±0.39 μmol/kg/min, respectively) and during exercise (7.12±0.74 and 6.40±0.99 μmol/kg/min, respectively). Likewise, the Ra of free fatty acids (FFA) was not significantly different after 4 wk of dietary CLA at rest (2.72±0.06 and 2.74±0.12 μmol/kg/min, respectively) or during exercise (6.99±0.40 and 5.88±0.29 μmol/kg/min, respectively). CLA supplementation also had no effect on the percentage of FFA released from lipolysis that were re-esterified. The apparent rate of FFA re-esterification was 65.2±4.2% at rest and 32.1±3.44% during exercise. Four weeks of CLA supplementation had no significant effect on fatty acid or glycerol metabolism in healthy, weight-stable, adult women.     

Dietary protein effects on cholelithiasis in hamsters: Interaction with amino acids and bile acids

The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of dietary cottonseed protein and casein on plasma and biliary lipids, plasma amino acids and gallstones in hamsters. Thirty-four male hamsters (60 ± 5 g) were fed either the lithogenic “Dam Diet” (containing 20% casein, 74.3% sucrose and 5.7% vitamin-mineral mix) or a similar diet that contained 20% cottonseed protein for 30 days. Both diets contained protein as a protein isolate. The concentration of alpha-aminobutyric acid was significantly elevated in the casein-fed group. Significant differences in the total plasma cholesterol or lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were not observed between the two dietary groups. A significant elevation in the absolute concentration of biliary cholesterol was observed in the casein-fed hamsters. Cottonseed protein-fed animals exhibited a significantly elevated concentration of bile acids. The ratio of glycochenodeoxycholic:glycocholic acid was significantly higher in the cotton-seed protein-fed group. This study reports that an elevated concentration of biliary cholesterol with a concomitant decrease in bile acid concentration yields a condition favorable to gallstone formation. It is proposed that cottonseed protein may have a specific effect on the bile acid pool by increasing the ratio of glycochenodeoxycholic acid:glycocholic acid which, in turn, prevents formation of cholesterol gallstones.     

The effects of creatine ethyl ester supplementation combined with heavy resistance training on body composition, muscle performance, and serum and muscle creatine levels

Numerous creatine formulations have been developed primarily to maximize creatine absorption. Creatine ethyl ester is alleged to increase creatine bio-availability. This study examined how a seven-week supplementation regimen combined with resistance training affected body composition, muscle mass, muscle strength and power, serum and muscle creatine levels, and serum creatinine levels in 30 non-resistance-trained males. In a double-blind manner, participants were randomly assigned to a maltodextrose placebo (PLA), creatine monohydrate (CRT), or creatine ethyl ester (CEE) group. The supplements were orally ingested at a dose of 0.30 g/kg fat-free body mass (approximately 20 g/day) for five days followed by ingestion at 0.075 g/kg fat free mass (approximately 5 g/day) for 42 days. Results showed significantly higher serum creatine concentrations in PLA (p = 0.007) and CRT (p = 0.005) compared to CEE. Serum creatinine was greater in CEE compared to the PLA (p = 0.001) and CRT (p = 0.001) and increased at days 6, 27, and 48. Total muscle creatine content was significantly higher in CRT (p = 0.026) and CEE (p = 0.041) compared to PLA, with no differences between CRT and CEE. Significant changes over time were observed for body composition, body water, muscle strength and power variables, but no significant differences were observed between groups. In conclusion, when compared to creatine monohydrate, creatine ethyl ester was not as effective at increasing serum and muscle creatine levels or in improving body composition, muscle mass, strength, and power. Therefore, the improvements in these variables can most likely be attributed to the training protocol itself, rather than the supplementation regimen.     

Effect of processing and amino acids supplementation on the protein quality of amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus)

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of thermic processing on the protein quality of amaranth (A. caudatus). It was also intended to establish the order of essential amino acid deficiencies suggested by the chemical score as limiting protein quality. The A. caudatus grain was cooked in water in the autoclave at 15 lb pressure during 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min. Once cooked, the samples were dehydrated with hot air at 60 degrees C and ground into flours. These were analyzed for: tannins, trypsin inhibitors, hemagglutinins (with cow, sheep, and human erythrocytes), damaged starch, available lysine, protein quality (by the NPR method), and true digestibility. Results indicated that the flours (0 to 60 min cooked) did not contain trypsin inhibitors and that their small tannin content, expressed as catechin, disappeared after 30 min of cooking. The quantities of these antiphysiological substances in the raw material are so small that they do not constitute a factor that may cause a decrease of the product's quality. A positive response was obtained for hemagglutinins, stronger with human erythrocytes, which disappeared with cow's and sheep's erythrocytes after 10 min of cooking and with human erythrocytes, after 20 min. As expected, cooking time increased the damaged starch and a slight increase was observed in available lysine, a finding which was impossible to explain satisfactorily. There were no important changes in true protein digestibility with respect to cooking time. Once again, results demonstrated the positive effect thermic treatment had on protein quality, suggesting the presence of antiphysiological active substances or a low nutrient bioavailability in raw samples. Longer cooking times did not alter substantially the protein quality (NPR and digestibility) and it was concluded that 10 min of cooking is an adequate time for the type of processing used. A sample of processed A. caudatus was utilized for the supplementation studies carried out with threonine, methionine, leucine, individually, or with the three amino acids together at 8.0, 9.5 and 1.0% protein in the diet. According to the results obtained, higher NPR values were observed with 9.0 and 9.5% protein content in the diet. No clear effects were detected when the amino acids were added, but there was an interaction between protein in the diet and amino acids. No effect occurred when leucine was added, suggesting that it is not a limiting amino acid. Possibly, threonine is a more limiting amino acid, but the effects were not as high, probably due to the level added to the diets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Exercise-induced muscle damage is reduced in resistance-trained males by branched chain amino acids: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: It is well documented that exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) decreases muscle function and causes soreness and discomfort. Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation has been shown to increase protein synthesis and decrease muscle protein breakdown, however, the effects of BCAAs on recovery from damaging resistance training are unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effects of a BCAA supplementation on markers of muscle damage elicited via a sport specific bout of damaging exercise in trained volunteers. METHODS: Twelve males (mean +/- SD age, 23 +/- 2 y; stature, 178.3 +/- 3.6 cm and body mass, 79.6 +/- 8.4 kg) were randomly assigned to a supplement (n = 6) or placebo (n = 6) group. The damaging exercise consisted of 100 consecutive drop-jumps. Creatine kinase (CK), maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), muscle soreness (DOMS), vertical jump (VJ), thigh circumference (TC) and calf circumference (CC) were measured as markers of muscle damage. All variables were measured immediately before the damaging exercise and at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h post-exercise. RESULTS: A significant time effect was seen for all variables. There were significant group effects showing a reduction in CK efflux and muscle soreness in the BCAA group compared to the placebo (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the recovery of MVC was greater in the BCAA group (P < 0.05). The VJ, TC and CC were not different between groups. CONCLUSION: The present study has shown that BCAA administered before and following damaging resistance exercise reduces indices of muscle damage and accelerates recovery in resistancetrained males. It seems likely that BCAA provided greater bioavailablity of substrate to improve protein synthesis and thereby the extent of secondary muscle damage associated with strenuous resistance exercise. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT01529281.     

Protein concentrate of the manioc leaf. Extraction, chemical analyses and supplementation with amino acids

The purpose of this work was to prepare a manioc leaf protein concentrate introducing some new procedures on the known methods developed by other authors. Chemical composition and biological quality (PER, Digestibility, NPU and BV) of the protein content were measured for diets prepared with leaf protein concentrate and leaf. Histological studies were carried out in some organs. The protein concentrate and the powdered leaves were supplemented with methionine and lysine, alone and combined. The protein content (N X 6.25) of the concentrate and the leaf was 34% and 25.2%, respectively. Addition of either methionine or lysine alone did not improve the growth of the rats. A better response was obtained when both methionine and lysine supplemented the test materials as indicated by the biological criteria, protein efficiency ratio (PER) true digestibility (TD) and biological value (BV). Histological tests for the organs examined, proved to be normal.     

In vivo evaluation of the effects of continuous exercise on skeletal muscle triglycerides in trained humans

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H MRS) and imaging (MRI) were used to investigate the effects of a bout of moderate prolonged exercise on intra (IMCL)- and extramyocellular lipid (EMCL) utilization in the soleus, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius muscles of five trained human subjects. MRI and ¹H MRS measurements were obtained before and after a 90 min run on a calibrated treadmill at a velocity corresponding to 64±1.5% of each subjects' maximal rate of oxygen consumption. There were significant decreases in IMCL following exercise in the tibialis (pre: 22.37±4.33 vs. post: 15.16±3.25 mmol/kg dry wt; P<0.01) and soleus (pre: 36.93±1.45 vs. post: 29.85 ±2.44 mmol/kg dry wt; P<0.01) muscles. There was also a decrease in the gastrocnemius muscle, although this did not reach the level of significance (pre: 33.78±5.35 vs. post: 28.48±5.44 mmol/kg dry weight; P<0.10). No significant changes were observed in EMCL or subcutaneous fat. In conclusion, this study showed that IMCL were significantly utilized in the tibialis and soleus muscles of aerobically endurance-trained humans. The absence of significant utilization of IMCL in the gastrocnemius may reflect differences in fiber type and/or intensity of contraction for each muscle group.     

Biased distribution of the branched-chain fatty acids in ceramides of vernix caseosa

The compositions of ester- and amide-linked fatty acids from ceramides of human vernix caseosa were described with emphasis on the distribution of the branched-chain fatty acid (BCFA). Two novel ceramides were isolated from vernix caseosa in the course of this study: the acylated type of esterified α-OH-hydroxyacid/sphingosine ceramide (Cer[EAS]) and nonacylated type of non-OH fatty acid/hydroxysphingosine ceramide (Cer[NH]). Their chemical structures were identified by nuclear magnetic resonance and chemical procedure. The Cer[EAS] was an acylceramide and consisted of the highest concentrations of ester- and amide-linked BCFA (62 and 67%, respectively). The iso- or anteiso-branching structures of the aliphatic chains were confirmed by the mass spectra of their picolinyl or pyrrolidide derivatives. As a whole, amide-linked fatty acids of ceramides 1–7 and Cer[NH] were normal types of straight-chain fatty acids with or without α- or ω-hydroxylation. The BCFA concentrations of amide-linked fatty acids in these ceramides (ceramides 1–7 and Cer[NH]) were low and less than 10%. The BCFA thus occurred exclusively in a novel acylceramide of Cer[EAS] in the vernix caseosa.     

氨基酸类绿色缓蚀剂研究进展

绿色化学在金属腐蚀方面的应用研究将是未来缓蚀剂科学的发展方向,氨基酸缓蚀剂是当前研究较活跃的一类环境友好型缓蚀剂.在实验研究方法、氨基酸的种类、研究材质、缓蚀机理等方面综述了氨基酸类缓蚀剂的近期研究进展.     

Long‐term conjugated linoleic acid supplementation in humans – effects on body composition and safety

In our contemporary adipogenic environment even modest improvements in body fat mass could be of relevance. In the last years animal and human studies have investigated the potential benefit of CLA on body composition. However, inconclusive results are often derived from short‐term studies. Long‐term intervention trials with supplemental CLA on body composition have not been reviewed exclusively up to now. Therefore, the objective of this study was to review the evidence of prolonged CLA supplementation as well as its influence on body composition in humans, and to summarize results from safety assessments of CLA intake. A literature search was performed to find intervention trials with CLA supplementation and its effects on body composition, as well as on insulin sensitivity. Only prolonged (≥12 wk) studies on body composition were included. The investigated studies indicate a modest reduction and/or prevention of regain of body fat in overweight/obese subjects. Results on the influence of CLA on insulin sensitivity are inconsistent, with newer data rather adding to the safety of CLA. Impaired insulin sensitivity by CLA remains a safety concern, yet is seemingly restricted to diabetic subjects and single‐isomer application. A meta‐a2 lysis of extended studies only is warranted to quantitatively evaluate the effects of CLA on body composition. Future research may elucidate if CLA should be considered as a marginal missing, semi‐essential nutrient in our present diet.     

Infrared absorption of branched-chain fatty acids and derivatives in the carbon-hydrogen stretching region

Summary An investigation of the lithium fluoride region makes it possible to characterize a number of structural isomers of branched-chain fatty acids. For example, 2-methyl, 3-methyl, and 5-methyl hexanoic acids may be distinguished. Similarly a number of isomers of octanoic acid may be identified ; 2-n-propyl and 2-isopropyl hexanoic acid may be differentiated. The isomers of 2-n-butyl hexanoic acid may also be identified. Absorption bands at 2960 cm⁻¹ and 2930 cm⁻¹ have been assigned, respectively, to asymmetrical methyl stretching modes and in-phase vibrations of the methylene group. Absorption at 2870 cm⁻¹ is associated with symmetrical stretching modes of the methyl group. The absorption at 2860 cm⁻¹ has been assigned to the out-of-phase vibrations of the methylene group. These assignments correspond to those of Fox and Martin and of Pozefsky and Coggeshall. The absorption bands at 2930 cm⁻¹ and 2860 cm⁻¹ are stronger than those at 2960 cm⁻¹ and 2870 cm⁻¹ when the ratio of methylene groups to methyl groups equals or exceeds three to one. The one exception to this rule is the case of 2-methyl hexanoic acid and the corresponding silver salt and di-soap. An interaction between the methyl group in the two-position and the acid group has been proposed as an explanation for this case. As the spectra of the fatty acids and their silver salt and aluminum di-soap derivatives are identical in the carbon-hydrogen region, it is obvious that other derivatives of these acids may be identified by reference to the spectra reported.     

Enrichment of eggs with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: effects of vitamin E supplementation

Eggs enriched with n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) could contribute to dietary intake of these healthful fatty acids (FA). Because n−3 PUFA are highly susceptible to peroxidation, a first part of the study with Leghorn laying hens was carried out to investigate the influence of different levels of fish oil (0, 0.7, 1.4, 2.8, or 5.6%, respectively) in the diet on n−3 PUFA, cholesterol, vitamin E, and lipid peroxidation product contents in eggs. Addition of fish oil to a complete diet based on wheat, rye, tapioca, and soybean constituents containing 11 IU vitamin E/kg resulted in increased n−3 PUFA content in egg yolk, mainly due to accumulation of docosahexaenoic acid. Cholesterol was not altered up to 2.8% fish oil in the diet. The vitamin E content of the yolk was insufficient for the protection of PUFA from peroxidation. Addition of up to 2.8% fish oil to laying hen diets increased the n−3 PUFA content of yolks with a concomitant imbalance between vitamin E and PUFA, leading to increased levels of cytotoxic aldehydic lipid peroxidation products such as malondialdehyde (MDA). In a second part of the studies, the balance between vitamin E, PUFA, and lipid peroxidation was analyzed during the period of storage of n−3 PUFA-enriched eggs produced after feeding the laying hens with 1.5% fish oil diets with different concentrations of vitamin E (0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 IU/kg). Storage of eggs resulted in a marked loss of vitamin E in yolk. In stored eggs, the cytotoxic lipid peroxidation products MDA, 4-hydroxynonenal, and 4-hydroxyhexenal were reduced in response to vitamin E supplementation. To prevent the increase of cytotoxic aldehydic lipid peroxidation during production and storage of n−3 PUFA-enriched eggs, a high vitamin E supplementation with at least 80 IU vitamin E/kg is needed.