Amino acid are the building blocks of the body's protein. Some amino acids, including leucine, cannot be made in the body and must be obtained from diet, these are called essential. With increase in age the body's muscle mass decrease and studies have suggested that dietary supplementation of leucine may have potential health benefits in elderly in regards to prevention of age related loss of lean muscle mass, and thus may help improve the quality of life in elderly. Currently, a safe upper dietary intake level of leucine has not been established for healthy elderly. Prior to exploring whether leucine supplementation will prevent or decrease loss of lean muscle mass in elderly we propose to identify the upper intake of leucine in healthy elderly. The purpose of this study is to determine the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of leucine in healthy elderly men (70 - 75 yrs) The investigators hypothesize that with a careful graded stepwise increase in leucine intake in elderly men, above the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR - 50 mg/kg/d), the body's ability to oxidize/dispose of excess amino acids will reach a maximum. With increased leucine intakes we hypothesize an increase in plasma ammonia concentrations and increases in plasma leucine and urinary leucine excretion.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
6
Oral consumption of eight hourly experimental meals- Includes 4 tracer-free experimental meals containing a mixture of free amino acids, calories from a flavored liquid and protein free cookies and 4- labeled amino acid experimental meals.
Child & Family Research Institute
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
13 carbon dioxide production
Urine, plasma and breath samples will be collected during the study to measure the rate of oxidation of the tracer.
Time frame: 8 hours (1 study day)
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.