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Exploring Muscle Breakdown During Exercise Recovery

Exploring Muscle Breakdown During Exercise Recovery

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04841772
Acronym
EMBER
Enrollment
26
Registered
2021-04-12
Start date
2021-04-08
Completion date
2022-12-01
Last updated
2023-03-23

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Healthy, Muscle Damage

Keywords

Skeletal muscle, Postabsorptive, Muscle protein breakdown, Muscle protein synthesis

Brief summary

This study will allow researchers to explore how muscle responds to heavy exercise. The researchers will characterise rates of muscle protein breakdown and synthesis 24hours after heavy exercise with a post exercise protein polyphenol or placebo supplementation. This will inform strategies to help people recover from heavy exercise.

Detailed description

It is well known that resistance exercise increases rates of muscle protein synthesis and breakdown, with the rise in synthesis greater in magnitude and duration. The time course of rates of muscle protein synthesis increase dramatically 24-72h following eccentric exercise, even in a non-exercised control leg. This data is consistent with a much larger increase in muscle protein breakdown than previously thought. However, the response of muscle protein breakdown following damaging eccentric exercise, and its relationship with muscle protein synthesis, has not yet been elucidated. Moreover, it is unclear whether a protein and polyphenol nutritional intervention influence rates of muscle protein breakdown to accelerate recovery. This study will allow researchers to test the hypothesis that eccentric exercise increases rates of muscle protein breakdown independently of muscle contraction per se. If this hypothesis is supported, it will highlight that recovery strategies from muscle damage should also target supporting muscle protein breakdown.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTRecover Vegan Protein Supplement

Post exercise protein supplement (26g pea protein)

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPlacebo

Post exercise placebo supplement (32g maltodextrin)

Sponsors

Beachbody
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
University of Exeter
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 40 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Recreationally active * 18-40 years of age

Exclusion criteria

* Regular and structured involvement in resistance training * Inactive participants * Habitual dietary protein intake \<0.8g/kg bw/day and \>2.0g/kg bw/day * Regular use of nutritional supplements known to suppress inflammation or modulate protein metabolism Any diagnosed metabolic conditions (diabetes), cardiovascular disease or hypertension * Current musculoskeletal injury * Chronic use of anti-inflammatory medicines * Any known disorders in muscle metabolism * Individuals with an allergy to egg, fish, wheat or soy ingredients as the product is manufactured in a facility that contains these ingredients * Allergy to lidocaine * Having received or ingested a stable isotope tracer containing 15N in the past * A personal or family history of epilepsy, seizures or schizophrenia * Stomach bleeding or stomach ulcer * Kidney failure * Liver problems, such as fibrosis, cirrhosis or failure * Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis * Chickenpox or shingles * Pregnant or trying to get pregnant * Any diagnosed cardiovascular disease (e.g. deep vein thrombosis) or hypertension. * Any diagnosed metabolic impairment (e.g. type 1 or 2 Diabetes) * Recent (within the last 6 months) or current musculoskeletal injury (leg fracture)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Muscle protein breakdown rate1hourMuscle protein breakdown rate (FBR, measured in %/h) 24hours post eccentric exercise.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Muscle protein synthesis rate3hoursMuscle protein synthesis rate (FSR, measured in %/h) 24hours post eccentric exercise.

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026