Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. An effective treatment is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which lowers testosterone levels to castration levels. However, such low testosterone levels tend to result in a loss of muscle mass and strength.
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Our study investigated the effect of resistance training with or without protein supplementation on muscle mass and strength in prostate cancer patients undergoing ADT.
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Subjects were divided into 3 groups: 1) ADT control group 2) ADT + resistance training 3) ADT + resistance training + protein supplementation
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Resistance training was a 20-week supervised program (2 sessions per week). Protein supplementation was 31 g whey protein provided after each training session and every night before sleep.
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Muscle mass was determined with CT (quadriceps cross-sectional area) and muscle strength with 1 repetition maximum tests.
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As expected, muscle mass (-2%) and strength (-5%) decreased in the ADT control group. Resistance training completely counteracted the loss and even increased muscle mass (+3%) and strength (+15%), with no additional effect of protein supplementation.
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These findings suggest that muscle mass and strength gains can be made even with very low testosterone levels.
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In conclusion, resistance training can overcome the adverse side effects of ADT on muscle mass and strength with advanced prostate cancer.
Protein distribution: beneficial, detrimental, or inconsequential?
Our response to commentary.
❌Not eating =/= fasted state
🥩Protein amount vs protein distribution
✅Practical recommendations
A 9-part thread. 🧵👇
The concept of protein distribution suggests that how you distribute your meals throughout 24 hours strongly impacts your overall anabolism.
There are contrasting lines of thought of what meal frequency is preferred for various health or athletic outcomes.
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In intermittent fasting or time-restricted feeding, food is consumed in a relatively short feeding window.
The goal is to be in a fasted/catabolic state, which is believed to be healthy. For example, it is thought to speed up the removal of damaged proteins (autophagy).
The ketogenic diet restricts carbohydrates with the purpose of lowering insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that is involved in fat metabolism. Therefore, some suggest that a ketogenic diet is very effective for fat loss.
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This study investigated whether a ketogenic diet increases fat loss compared to a high-carbohydrate diet in overweight and obese men.
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Our new paper:
Pre-sleep Protein Ingestion Increases Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis Rates During Overnight Recovery from Endurance Exercise: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Exercise and protein ingestion are the main factors that stimulate muscle protein synthesis (the main process driving muscle adaptations such as growth).
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It has been reported that athletes are more likely to consume excessive amounts of alcohol, especially as part of binge-drinking practices in team sports. Can these practices affect muscle protein synthesis?
Muscle growth occurs when muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown. Resistance exercise stimulates both muscle protein synthesis and breakdown. Ingestion of protein further increases muscle protein synthesis and is needed to achieve positive protein net balance.
In young adults, 20 g of high-quality protein seems optimal to stimulate post-exercise muscle protein synthesis. However, is this also true for older adults?