Tart cherry concentrate does not enhance muscle protein synthesis response to exercise and protein in healthy older men

• Published in: Experimental gerontology Vol. 110; pp. 202 - 208
• Main Authors: Jackman, Sarah R., Brook, Matthew S., Pulsford, Richard M., Cockcroft, Emma J., Campbell, Matthew I., Rankin, Debbie, Atherton, Philip, Smith, Kenneth, Bowtell, Joanna L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01-09-2018
• Subjects: Aged; Deuterated water; Deuterium; Dietary Supplements; Healthy Volunteers; Humans; Inflammation; Male; Middle Aged; Montmorency; Muscle Proteins - metabolism; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Myofibrillar; Myofibrils - metabolism; Oxidative Stress; Polyphenols; Polyphenols - pharmacology; Protein Biosynthesis; Prunus avium - chemistry; Quadriceps Muscle - pathology; Resistance Training; Whey Proteins - administration & dosage; Myofibrillar; Polyphenols; Inflammation; Deuterated water; Montmorency
• ISSN: 0531-5565; 1873-6815
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exger.2018.06.007

Oxidative stress and inflammation may contribute to anabolic resistance in response to protein and exercise in older adults. We investigated whether consumption of montmorency cherry concentrate (MCC) increased anabolic sensitivity to protein ingestion and resistance exercise in healthy older men.
Sixteen healthy older men were randomized to receive MCC (60 mL·d−1) or placebo (PLA) for two weeks, after baseline measures in week 1. During week 3, participants consumed 10 g whey protein·d−1 and completed three bouts of unilateral leg resistance exercise (4 × 8–10 repetitions at 80% 1RM). Participants consumed a bolus (150 mL) and weekly (50 mL) doses of deuterated water. Body water 2H enrichment was measured in saliva and vastus lateralis biopsies were taken from the non-exercised leg after weeks 1, 2 and 3, and the exercised leg after week 3, to measure tracer incorporation at rest, in response to protein and protein + exercise.
Myofibrillar protein synthesis increased in response to exercise + protein compared to rest (p < 0.05) in both groups, but there was no added effect of supplement (MCC: 1.79 ± 0.75 EX vs 1.15 ± 0.40 rest; PLA: 2.22 ± 0.54 vs 1.21 ± 0.18; all %·d−1). Muscle total NFĸB protein was decreased with exercise and protein in MCC (NFĸB: −20.7 ± 17.5%) but increased in PLA (NFĸB: 17.8 ± 31.3%, p = 0.073).
Short-term MCC ingestion does not affect the anabolic response to protein and exercise in healthy, relatively active, older men, despite MCC ingestion attenuating expression of proteins involved in the muscle inflammatory response to exercise, which may influence the chronic training response.
•Exercise and protein increased integrated muscle protein synthesis in elderly males.•Tart cherry juice ingestion did not affect myofibrillar protein synthesis response.•Expression of proteins involved in inflammation decreased with cherry juice ingestion.