Leucine supplementation attenuates the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function in older adults during bed rest. We sought to determine if leucine could also preserve and/or restore mitochondrial function and muscle oxidative capacity during periods of disuse and rehabilitation. Healthy older adults (69.1 ± 1.1 years) consumed a structured diet with supplemental leucine (LEU: 0.06 g/ kg body weight/ meal; n=8) or alanine (CON: 0.06 g/ kg body weight/meal; n=8) during 7 days of bed rest and 5 days of inpatient rehabilitation. A 75 g oral glucose tolerance test was performed at baseline (PreBR), after bed rest (PostBR) and rehabilitation (PostRehab) and used to calculate an indicator of insulin sensitivity, metabolic clearance rate. (MCR). Tissue samples from the m. vastus lateralis were collected PreBR, PostBR, and PostRehab to assess mitochondrial respiratory capacity and protein markers of the oxidative phosphorylation and a marker of the antioxidant defense systems. During bed rest, leucine tended to preserve insulin sensitivity (Change in MCR, CON vs. LEU: -3.5 ± 0.82 vs LEU: -0.98 ± 0.88, p=0.054), but had no effect on mitochondrial respiratory capacity (Change in State 3+succinate CON vs. LEU -8.7 ± 6.1 vs. 7.3 ± 4.1 pmol O2/sec/mg tissue, p=0.10) Following rehabilitation, leucine increased ATP-linked respiration (CON vs. LEU: -8.9 ± 6.2 vs. 15.5± 4.4 pmol O2/sec/mg tissue, p=0.0042). While the expression of mitochondrial respiratory and antioxidant proteins was not impacted, leucine supplementation preserved specific pathways of mitochondrial respiration, insulin sensitivity and a marker of oxidative stress during bed rest and rehabilitation.
The effects of age on skeletal muscle and the phosphocreatine energy system: can creatine supplementation help older adults
