Anabolic Response to Beef vs Plant Protein in (Pre)Frail Older Adults Using a Novel Stable Isotope Pulse Method

Study Summary

Frailty is a common clinical syndrome in older adults that increases the risk for poor health outcomes including falls, disability, hospitalization, and mortality. Previous research showed increased protein needs and reduced anabolic response to meals in older adults, indicating the need for proteins with a high anabolic capacity to prevent and attenuate physical and cognitive health decline throughout the frailty cycle. Recently, more people have chosen to eliminate animal (i.e., beef) products from their diets which is concerning because of beef's anabolic properties due to high essential amino acid (EAA) levels and many other positive health effects. The Researchers' recently developed stable isotope amino acid pulse method enables measurement of the true intracellular anabolic response to a meal and bioavailability of food-derived amino acids. The research objective is to examine differences in the anabolic response and bioavailability of individual EAA and non-essential amino acids (NEAA) in beef as compared to plant protein in older adults with and without (pre-)frailty.

Primary Outcome

A novel stable isotope technique will be used to assess simultaneously the anabolic response and whole body production rates of a variety of amino acids to intake of both dietary proteins in sarcopenic older participants. The samples will be stored in laboratory freezers and the amino acid isotope enrichments and concentrations analyzed by Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The researchers will then conduct LC-MS/MS analysis, peak integration, calculation of amino ac

Conditions Studied

Interventions

• OTHER Placebo
• OTHER Beef
• OTHER Tofu

Study Locations (1)