Abstract
Aging is accompanied by loss of skeletal muscle mass, termed sarcopenia. Loss of skeletal muscle mass results in a decline in muscle strength, which increases the risk of falls and fractures. This will increase hospital and/or nursing home admissions and may reduce the quality of life of older individuals. Physical activity and food intake have been shown to be effective in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. Food intake, and protein ingestion in particular, provides amino acids that serve as precursors for muscle protein synthesis.
The stimulation of muscle protein synthesis by protein ingestion is regulated on various levels, including protein digestion and amino acid absorption kinetics, splanchnic amino acid retention, availability of dietary protein-derived amino acids in the circulation, skeletal muscle perfusion and delivery of amino acids to skeletal muscle tissue, amino acid uptake by muscle cells, and intracellular signaling towards myofibrillar protein synthesis. In this dissertation, we investigated dietary factors that modulate postprandial protein handling using stable isotope tracer methodology.
Defence date: 23/06/16
Zuyderland Medical Centre
