The Drive podcast: Optimizing muscle protein synthesis

Podcast #299 ‒ Optimizing muscle protein synthesis: the crucial impact of protein quality and quantity, and the key role of resistance training | Luc van Loon, Ph.D.In this episode, Luc starts with an exploration of the roles of insulin and triglycerides in endurance exercise, highlighting their impact on skeletal muscle metabolism, and he offers profound insights into the significance of protein in this context. He elucidates how different protein types and forms influence muscle protein synthesis rates, exploring the nuances of protein absorption, digestibility, amino acid quality, and their implications for performance and recovery. Delving deeper, he differentiates between animal and plant protein sources, unraveling the distinctive properties of various protein types, from the differences between whey and casein to the emerging trends in collagen protein supplementation. Moreover, Luc dissects the intricate connections among physical activity, lean muscle mass, muscle protein synthesis induced by resistance training, and dietary protein.  World champion powerlifting Ina Koolhaas-Revers (71 years old) visited our lab to assess her body composition, strength, functional performance, and metabolic health. We performed many measurements on Ina and will compare the outcome with other individuals of the same age group as well as with young(er) females. This will help us to better understand why Ina is still capable of lifting heavy weights, whereas others from her age are not. We are presently collecting and analysing all the data and working on her muscle tissue samples and will present these findings soon.

Peter Attia

April 22, 2024