This study evaluated the effect of leucine on the protein status of rats submitted to 50% food restriction for 1 week, followed by 2 weeks of nutritional recovery. A significant increase of serum insulin-like growth factor 1 and protein/RNA ratio in the liver was observed in leucine-supplemented rats. There was no change in carcass, liver, or gastrocnemius protein content when compared with control animals. The supplementation tested did not favor protein status, although it improved some indicators of an anabolic state.
Moderate Food Restriction Abolishes the Pregnancy-Associated Rise in Serum Growth Hormone and Decreases Serum Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I) Concentrations without Altering IGF-I mRNA Expression in Rats