scholarly journals Mechanisms Linking the Gut-Muscle Axis With Muscle Protein Metabolism and Anabolic Resistance: Implications for Older Adults at Risk of Sarcopenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Prokopidis ◽  
Edward Chambers ◽  
Mary Ni Lochlainn ◽  
Oliver C. Witard
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Anabolic Resistance ◽  
Amino Acid Availability ◽  
Low Grade Inflammation

Aging is associated with a decline in skeletal muscle mass and function—termed sarcopenia—as mediated, in part, by muscle anabolic resistance. This metabolic phenomenon describes the impaired response of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) to the provision of dietary amino acids and practice of resistance-based exercise. Recent observations highlight the gut-muscle axis as a physiological target for combatting anabolic resistance and reducing risk of sarcopenia. Experimental studies, primarily conducted in animal models of aging, suggest a mechanistic link between the gut microbiota and muscle atrophy, mediated via the modulation of systemic amino acid availability and low-grade inflammation that are both physiological factors known to underpin anabolic resistance. Moreover, in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrate the action of specific gut bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) to increase systemic amino acid availability and elicit an anti-inflammatory response in the intestinal lumen. Prospective lifestyle approaches that target the gut-muscle axis have recently been examined in the context of mitigating sarcopenia risk. These approaches include increasing dietary fiber intake that promotes the growth and development of gut bacteria, thus enhancing the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) (acetate, propionate, and butyrate). Prebiotic/probiotic/symbiotic supplementation also generates SCFA and may mitigate low-grade inflammation in older adults via modulation of the gut microbiota. Preliminary evidence also highlights the role of exercise in increasing the production of SCFA. Accordingly, lifestyle approaches that combine diets rich in fiber and probiotic supplementation with exercise training may serve to produce SCFA and increase microbial diversity, and thus may target the gut-muscle axis in mitigating anabolic resistance in older adults. Future mechanistic studies are warranted to establish the direct physiological action of distinct gut microbiota phenotypes on amino acid utilization and the postprandial stimulation of muscle protein synthesis in older adults.

Dietary protein considerations for muscle protein synthesis and muscle mass preservation in older adults

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunice T. Olaniyan ◽  
Fiona O’Halloran ◽  
Aoife L. McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Protein Intake ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Anabolic Resistance

Abstract Amino acid bioavailability is critical for muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and preservation of skeletal muscle mass (SMM). Ageing is associated with reduced responsiveness of MPS to essential amino acids (EAA). Further, the older adult population experiences anabolic resistance, leading to increased frailty, functional decline and depleted muscle mass preservation, which facilitates the need for increased protein intake to increase their SMM. This review focuses on the role of proteins in muscle mass preservation and examines the contribution of EAA and protein intake patterns to MPS. Leucine is the most widely studied amino acid for its role as a potent stimulator of MPS, though due to inadequate data little is yet known about the role of other EAA. Reaching a conclusion on the best pattern of protein intake has proven difficult due to conflicting studies. A mixture of animal and plant proteins can contribute to increased MPS and potentially attenuate muscle wasting conditions; however, there is limited research on the biological impact of protein blends in older adults. While there is some evidence to suggest that liquid protein foods with higher than the RDA of protein may be the best strategy for achieving high MPS rates in older adults, clinical trials are warranted to confirm an association between food form and SMM preservation. Further research is warranted before adequate recommendations and strategies for optimising SMM in the elderly population can be proposed.

scholarly journals Targeting the Gut Microbiota to Improve Dietary Protein Efficacy to Mitigate Sarcopenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena de Marco Castro ◽  
Caoileann H. Murphy ◽  
Helen M. Roche
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Dietary Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Anabolic Resistance

Sarcopenia is characterised by the presence of diminished skeletal muscle mass and strength. It is relatively common in older adults as ageing is associated with anabolic resistance (a blunted muscle protein synthesis response to dietary protein consumption and resistance exercise). Therefore, interventions to counteract anabolic resistance may benefit sarcopenia prevention and are of utmost importance in the present ageing population. There is growing speculation that the gut microbiota may contribute to sarcopenia, as ageing is also associated with [1) dysbiosis, whereby the gut microbiota becomes less diverse, lacking in healthy butyrate-producing microorganisms and higher in pathogenic bacteria, and [2) loss of epithelial tight junction integrity in the lining of the gut, leading to increased gut permeability and higher metabolic endotoxemia. Animal data suggest that both elements may impact muscle physiology, but human data corroborating the causality of the association between gut microbiota and muscle mass and strength are lacking. Mechanisms wherein the gut microbiota may alter anabolic resistance include an attenuation of gut-derived low-grade inflammation and/or the increased digestibility of protein-containing foods and consequent higher aminoacidemia, both in favour of muscle protein synthesis. This review focuses on the putative links between the gut microbiota and skeletal muscle in the context of sarcopenia. We also address the issue of plant protein digestibility because plant proteins are increasingly important from an environmental sustainability perspective, yet they are less efficient at stimulating muscle protein synthesis than animal proteins.

scholarly journals Stimulation of Muscle Protein Synthesis by Prolonged Parenteral Infusion of Leucine Is Dependent on Amino Acid Availability in Neonatal Pigs

2009 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona A. Wilson ◽  
Agus Suryawan ◽  
Maria C. Gazzaneo ◽  
Renán A. Orellana ◽  
Hanh V. Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Neonatal Pigs ◽  
Amino Acid Availability ◽  
Stimulation Of

Human muscle protein synthesis and breakdown during and after exercise

2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (6) ◽  
pp. 2026-2039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinod Kumar ◽  
Philip Atherton ◽  
Kenneth Smith ◽  
Michael J. Rennie
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Protein Turnover ◽  
Acute Exercise ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Human Muscle ◽  
Muscle Protein Turnover ◽  
Amino Acid Availability

Skeletal muscle demonstrates extraordinary mutability in its responses to exercise of different modes, intensity, and duration, which must involve alterations of muscle protein turnover, both acutely and chronically. Here, we bring together information on the alterations in the rates of synthesis and degradation of human muscle protein by different types of exercise and the influences of nutrition, age, and sexual dimorphism. Where possible, we summarize the likely changes in activity of signaling proteins associated with control of protein turnover. Exercise of both the resistance and nonresistance types appears to depress muscle protein synthesis (MPS), whereas muscle protein breakdown (MPB) probably remains unchanged during exercise. However, both MPS and MPB are elevated after exercise in the fasted state, when net muscle protein balance remains negative. Positive net balance is achieved only when amino acid availability is increased, thereby raising MPS markedly. However, postexercise-increased amino acid availability is less important for inhibiting MPB than insulin, the secretion of which is stimulated most by glucose availability, without itself stimulating MPS. Exercise training appears to increase basal muscle protein turnover, with differential responses of the myofibrillar and mitochondrial protein fractions to acute exercise in the trained state. Aging reduces the responses of myofibrillar protein and anabolic signaling to resistance exercise. There appear to be few, if any, differences in the response of young women and young men to acute exercise, although there are indications that, in older women, the responses may be blunted more than in older men.

scholarly journals Impact of Protein Intake in Older Adults with Sarcopenia and Obesity: A Gut Microbiota Perspective

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Prokopidis ◽  
Mavil May Cervo ◽  
Anoohya Gandham ◽  
David Scott
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Chain Fatty Acid ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Atrophy

The continuous population increase of older adults with metabolic diseases may contribute to increased prevalence of sarcopenia and obesity and requires advocacy of optimal nutrition treatments to combat their deleterious outcomes. Sarcopenic obesity, characterized by age-induced skeletal-muscle atrophy and increased adiposity, may accelerate functional decline and increase the risk of disability and mortality. In this review, we explore the influence of dietary protein on the gut microbiome and its impact on sarcopenia and obesity. Given the associations between red meat proteins and altered gut microbiota, a combination of plant and animal-based proteins are deemed favorable for gut microbiota eubiosis and muscle-protein synthesis. Additionally, high-protein diets with elevated essential amino-acid concentrations, alongside increased dietary fiber intake, may promote gut microbiota eubiosis, given the metabolic effects derived from short-chain fatty-acid and branched-chain fatty-acid production. In conclusion, a greater abundance of specific gut bacteria associated with increased satiation, protein synthesis, and overall metabolic health may be driven by protein and fiber consumption. This could counteract the development of sarcopenia and obesity and, therefore, represent a novel approach for dietary recommendations based on the gut microbiota profile. However, more human trials utilizing advanced metabolomic techniques to investigate the microbiome and its relationship with macronutrient intake, especially protein, are warranted.

Presence of low-grade inflammation impaired postprandial stimulation of muscle protein synthesis in old rats

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michèle Balage ◽  
Julien Averous ◽  
Didier Rémond ◽  
Cécile Bos ◽  
Estelle Pujos-Guillot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Old Rats ◽  
Low Grade Inflammation ◽  
Stimulation Of

Control of Muscle Protein Synthesis as a Result of Contractile Activity and Amino Acid Availability: Implications for Protein Requirements

2001 ◽  
Vol 11 (s1) ◽  
pp. S170-S176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Rennie
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Contractile Activity ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Protein Requirements ◽  
Amino Acid Availability ◽  
Separate Pathway

The major anabolic influences on muscle are feeding and contractile activity. As a result of feeding, anabolism occurs chiefly by increases in protein synthesis with minor changes in protein breakdown. Insulin has a permissive role in increasing synthesis, but the availability of amino acids is crucial for net anabolism. We have investigated the role of amino acids in stimulating muscle protein synthesis, the synergy between exercise and amino acid availability, and some of the signaling elements involved. The results suggest that muscle is acutely sensitive to amino acids, that exercise probably increases the anabolic effects of amino acids by a separate pathway, and that for this reason it is unlikely that accustomed physical exercise increases protein requirements.

scholarly journals Reduced amino acid availability inhibits muscle protein synthesis and decreases activity of initiation factor eIF2B

2003 ◽  
Vol 284 (3) ◽  
pp. E488-E498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisamine Kobayashi ◽  
Elisabet Børsheim ◽  
Tracy G. Anthony ◽  
Daniel L. Traber ◽  
John Badalamenti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Amino Acid Replacement ◽  
Plasma Amino Acid ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Nucleotide Exchange ◽  
Amino Acid Availability ◽  
Amino Acid Concentrations

We have examined the effect of a hemodialysis-induced 40% reduction in plasma amino acid concentrations on rates of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown in normal swine. Muscle protein kinetics were measured by tracer methodology using [2H5]phenylalanine and [1-13C]leucine and analysis of femoral arterial and venous samples and tissue biopsies. Net amino acid release by muscle was accelerated during dialysis. Phenylalanine utilization for muscle protein synthesis was reduced from the basal value of 45 ± 8 to 25 ± 6 nmol · min−1 · 100 ml leg−1 between 30 and 60 min after start of dialysis and was stimulated when amino acids were replaced while dialysis continued. Muscle protein breakdown was unchanged. The signal for changes in synthesis appeared to be changes in plasma amino acid concentrations, as intramuscular concentrations remained constant throughout. The changes in muscle protein synthesis were accompanied by a reduction or stimulation, respectively, in the guanine nucleotide exchange activity of eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)2B following hypoaminoacidemia vs. amino acid replacement. We conclude that a reduction in plasma amino acid concentrations below the normal basal value signals an inhibition of muscle protein synthesis and that corresponding changes in eIF2B activity suggest a possible role in mediating the response.

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