Dr. Jorn Trommelen (Assistant Professor, Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands) talks about his research on pre-sleep protein ingestion after exercise to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. In the first part, we discuss the different forms of proteins and how endurance vs. resistance training differ in their post-exercise protein demand. Jorn further explains why the sleeping period is actually not so different from the awake period with respect to protein needs. We also dive into the details of the main methodological approaches used in Jorn's group to assess muscle protein synthesis.

Main paper:

Pre‐sleep Protein Ingestion Increases Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis Rates During Overnight Recovery from Endurance Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Trommelen et al. 2023)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-023-01822-3

Additional papers that Jorn refers to:

Yves Boirie, guy who invented the cow model

First study about production of the labeled milk:

Production of large amounts of [13C]leucine-enriched milk proteins by lactating cows (Boirie et al. 1995)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7815181/

First paper applying the model:

Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion (Boirie et al. 1997)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9405716/

Paper from Jorn's group applying the model:

Ingestion of Free Amino Acids Compared with an Equivalent Amount of Intact Protein Results in More Rapid Amino Acid Absorption and Greater Postprandial Plasma Amino Acid Availability Without Affecting Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Young Adults in a Double-Blind Randomized Trial (Weijzen et al. 2022)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34642762/

Jorn's review on this model:

Comprehensive assessment of post-prandial protein handling by the application of intrinsically labelled protein in vivo in human subjects (Trommelen et al. 2021)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33487181/

Literature for peak times in myofibrillar vs. mitochondrial protein synthesis after exercise:

"Whereas myofibrillar protein synthesis rates are typically highest during acute post-exercise recovery (0–6 h) [28, 29], mitochondrial protein synthesis rates appear to peak at ~ 24 h of post-exercise recovery [25, 27, 30]. Therefore, it could be speculated that post-exercise protein ingestion may prove to be more effective at stimulating mitochondrial protein synthesis rates when assessed over a more prolonged recovery period [31]."

!See numbered references in the main paper stated above!

Generally 20g of protein maximally stimulates muscle protein synthesis:

Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men (Moore et al. 2009)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19056590/

Myofibrillar muscle protein synthesis rates subsequent to a meal in response to increasing doses of whey protein at rest and after resistance exercise (Witard et al. 2014)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24257722/

Presleep dietary protein-derived amino acids are incorporated in myofibrillar protein during postexercise overnight recovery (Trommelen et al. 2018)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28536184/

Studies of protein’s impact on sleep

Protein intake and its effect on sleep outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Wirth et al. 2023) https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/81/3/333/6694939?login=true

Protein Ingestion before Sleep Increases Overnight Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Healthy Older Men: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Kouwe et al. 2017)

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28855419/

How to contact Jorn Trommelen:

Twitter: @JornTrommelen

Website: nutritiontactics.com

Instagram: @nutritiontactics

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorntrommelen/

Email: jorn.trommelen@maastrichtuniversity.nl