Effects of dietary protein level on the energy metabolism of rats during exercise

High Impact Exercise Improves Bone Microstructure and Strength in Growing Rats

Physical activity is beneficial for skeletal development. However, impact sports during adolescence, leading to bone growth retardation and/or bone quality improvement, remains unexplained. This study investigated the effects of in vivo low (LI), medium (MI), and high (HI) impact loadings applied during puberty on bone growth, morphometry and biomechanics using a rat model. 4-week old rats (n = 30) were divided into control, sham, LI, MI, and HI groups. The impact was applied on the right tibiae, 5 days/week for 8 weeks mimicking walking (450 µε), uphill running (850 µε) and jumping (1250 µε) conditions. Trabecular and cortical parameters were determined by micro-CT, bone growth rate by calcein labeling and toluidine blue staining followed by histomorphometry. Bio-mechanical properties were evaluated from bending tests. HI group reduced rat body weight and food consumption compared to shams. Bone growth rate also decreased in MI and HI groups despite developing thicker hypertrophic and proliferative zone heights. HI group showed significant increment in bone mineral density, trabecular thickness, cortical and total surface area. Ultimate load and stiffness were also increased in MI and HI groups. We conclude that impact loading during adolescence reduces bone growth moderately but improves bone quality and biomechanics at the end of the growing period.

Greater Amino Acid Intake Is Required to Maximize Whole-Body Protein Synthesis Immediately after Endurance Exercise Than at Rest in Endurance-Trained Rats, as Determined by an Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Method

BACKGROUND

The indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) method has contributed to establishing protein and amino acid (AA) requirements by determining the optimal protein and AA intake that maximizes whole-body protein synthesis. However, it has not been used with endurance-trained subjects.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the optimal AA intake immediately after endurance exercise and at rest in endurance-trained rats by using the IAAO method.

METHODS

Four-week-old male Fischer rats were divided into a sedentary (SED) group and a trained (TR) group, which underwent treadmill training 5 d/wk for 6 wk at 26 m/min for 60 min/d. On the metabolic trial day, half of the TR group was provided with test diets after daily treadmill running (TR-PostEx). The other half of the TR group (TR-Rest) and all of the SED group were provided with test diets while at rest. The test diets contained different amounts of AAs (3.3-37.3 g ⋅ kg(-1) ⋅ d(-1)). Phenylalanine in the test diet was replaced with L-[1-(13)C]phenylalanine. The phenylalanine oxidation rate (PheOx) was determined with (13)CO2 enrichment in breath, CO2 excretion rate, and enrichment of phenylalanine in blood during the feeding period. The optimal AA intake was determined with biphasic mixed linear regression crossover analysis for PheOx, which identified a breakpoint at the minimal PheOx in response to graded amounts of AA intake.

RESULTS

The optimal AA intake in the TR-PostEx group (26.8 g ⋅ kg(-1) ⋅ d(-1); 95% CI: 21.5, 32.1 g ⋅ kg(-1) ⋅ d(-1)) was significantly higher than in the SED (15.1 g ⋅ kg(-1) ⋅ d(-1); 95% CI: 11.1, 19.1 g ⋅ kg(-1) ⋅ d(-1)) and TR-Rest (13.3 g ⋅ kg(-1) ⋅ d(-1); 95% CI: 10.9, 15.7 g ⋅ kg(-1) ⋅ d(-1)) groups, which did not differ.

CONCLUSIONS

Greater AA intake is required to maximize whole-body protein synthesis immediately after endurance exercise than at rest, but not at rest in endurance-trained rats.

Exercise effects on calorie intake

The promotion of exercise for the treatment of obesity has been based on the double premise that exercise generates special metabolic signals and that these reduce food intake. The decrease in intake coupled with the increase in expenditure leads to weight loss. Strong support for this premise comes primarily from animal studies, not from studies in humans. This arises in part because the premise is so difficult to prove in people. It ought to be a simple matter to exercise sedentary people and watch them eat less. In fact, the methodologic problems associated with measuring energy expenditure, voluntary changes in energy intake, and small shifts in body composition are great. As a result, there is a paucity of information in this area.

Dietary protein does not affect overloaded skeletal muscle in rats

We compared the effects of three levels of dietary protein, i.e., 7% (low protein; LP); 17.5% (adequate protein; CON); or 30% (high protein; HP) on growth of functionally overloaded muscle in Sprague-Dawley male rats. Growth of plantaris and soleus muscles was induced by the surgical removal of gastrocnemius muscles in one hindlimb; muscles in the other leg were used as sham-operated, intra-animal controls. After 4 wk, rats fed the 7% LP diet gained less weight (-29%) and had lighter livers (-20%) and kidneys (-16%) than rats fed the CON diet (P < 0.05). Measurements of rats fed the 30% HP diet were not different from those of CON rats except that their kidneys were larger (+6%) (P < 0.05). The level of dietary protein did not affect the experimentally induced muscular growth in either plantaris or soleus muscles. Gains in overloaded plantaris muscles over sham-operated muscles were not different among rats fed LP, CON and HP diets for muscle mass (+42 to +45%), total protein (+42 to +46%) and myofibrillar protein (+40 to +44%). Soleus muscles also did not differ among diet groups for gains in mass (+20 to +33%), total protein (+20 to +33%) and myofibrillar protein (+21 to +33%). No dietary protein effects were found on myosin heavy chain isoform (I, IIa, IIx, IIb) expression in either plantaris or soleus muscles. We conclude that gains in plantaris and soleus muscle mass, total protein and myofibrillar protein induced by functional overload are not affected by low (7%) or high (30%) protein feeding in young male rats for 4 wk.

Role of catecholamines in regulation by feeding of energy balance following chronic exercise in rats

Two experiments examined the contribution of the two catecholamines--epinephrine (EPI) and norepinephrine (NE)--to the control of food intake and body weight gain in male rats during chronic exercise. Urinary excretion of both catecholamines rose significantly and was positively correlated to food intake inhibition (NE, n = 54, r = 0.394, p less than 0.01; EPI, n = 54, r = 0.428, p less than 0.01). Oral ingestion of the non-selective beta-adrenoceptor blocking drug, pindolol, abolished the food intake reduction induced by exercise. Furthermore, rats that were treated with pindolol gained weight at a higher rate than untreated rats. These findings are consistent with the idea that catecholamines contribute to post-exercise inhibition of food intake and reduction of body weight in male rats. However, the exact physiological mechanism of catecholamine-induced decrease in food intake remains to be elucidated.

Opioid modulation of feeding behavior following repeated exposure to forced swimming exercise in male rats

Patterns of normal and stimulated food intake (FI) as well as its possible endogenous opioid (EO) modulation were investigated in male rats given regular swimming exercise (trained; TR) and compared with nonexercised sedentary (SED) controls. Rats in the TR group had lower body weights as well as reduced 24 hr FI due to lower nocturnal FI. TR rats also ate less food in response to injections of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) but not insulin (INS) when injections were given during the first 4-5 weeks of training. However, this difference between TR and SED rats in the 2-DG induced feeding was not demonstrable after 10 or more weeks of training. Plasma concentrations of immunoreactive B-endorphin (IR-B-ep) were elevated, as expected, in TR rats (10-12 weeks) during nocturnal sampling whereas the nocturnal increase of IR-B-ep was absent in SED controls. However, these SED rats did increase daytime IR-B-ep in response to 2-DG and acute exercise, albeit somewhat less in magnitude when compared to TR rats. Injection of naltrexone (NTX) decreased feeding in TR rats (10-12 weeks) but not in contemporary SED controls. In summary, exercise training modified feeding behavior, and at 4 weeks of training, TR rats ate less in response to opioid-related feeding stimulus of 2-DG, but responded similarly to insulin (relatively opioid independent) treatment. At later stages of training this difference between TR and SED rats disappeared. Moreover, SED rats had atypical profiles of IR-B-ep and reduced hypophagic responses to NTX suggesting that TR rats might have greater EO modulation of feeding at this stage.

Opioid modulation of feeding behavior following forced swimming exercise in male rats

Adult male rats were subjected to an acute bout of swimming exercise for 50 min during the early morning or late afternoon. Compared to nonexercised controls, all exercised groups showed an initial approximately 2-hr period of increased feeding (period I hyperphagia). A 50-min period of sham swimming (wading in water) was followed by period I hyperphagia but not period II hypophagia. Opioid modulation of period I hyperphagia was indicated by the ability of naltrexone to antagonize, in a dose-dependent manner, the postexercise hyperphagia. Furthermore, plasma concentrations of immunoreactive B-endorphin (Ir-B-ep) were increased during period I following exercise. Opioid modulation of the period II hypophagia was equivocal. Plasma Ir-B-ep was not altered in period II, and naltrexone did not modify period II hypophagia. The ability of 2-deoxy-D-glucose to induce feeding was slightly depressed (p less than 0.05) during period II after exercise, and the ability of exogenous insulin to induce feeding was not changed. These differential feeding responses to 2-deoxy-D-glucose (opioid-mediated) and insulin (relatively opioid-independent) suggest that an opioid deficiency may exist during period II and contribute to the hypophagia.