Passive Heat Treatment and Skeletal Muscle Reconditioning Older Adults
Condition: Sarcopenia
MeSH terms: Sarcopenia; Hyperthermia
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Rationale: Aging is accompanied by impairments in the sensitivity of skeletal muscle tissue
      to respond to the anabolic properties of protein feeding, which is suggested to result in
      age-related loss in muscle mass. Adequate muscle perfusion capacity is essential for muscle
      mass maintenance, as it determines the rapid delivery of amino acids, nutrients and growth
      factors to the muscle fiber, thereby stimulating muscle protein synthesis. However, muscle
      perfusion capacity declines with increasing age. Hence, improving muscle perfusion may be key
      to augment the sensitivity of senescent muscle following protein feeding in older adults.
      Although exercise training is an effective way to improve muscle perfusion capacity, there
      are a number of patient groups that find exercise training difficult to achieve. Hence,
      alternative strategies need to be developed to improve muscle perfusion capacity. Passive
      heat treatment (PHT) has been associated with various health benefits in older adult
      populations, including improved blood pressure, cardiovascular disease risk, and metabolic
      health. In addition, PHT has been shown to increase muscle fiber capillarization in healthy
      young adults. However, whether such an intervention improves muscle perfusion capacity, and
      enhances the anabolic response of skeletal muscle following food ingestion in older adults is
      unknown.

      Objective: To assess the impact of an 8-week passive heat treatment intervention on skeletal
      muscle fiber capillarization/perfusion capacity and post-prandial muscle protein synthesis
      rates in healthy older adults.

      Study design: single arm, within subject study design

      Study population: 14 healthy older (65-85 y) men and women.

      Intervention (if applicable): Participants will be subjected to an 8-week (3 x pw) PHT, by
      means of infrared sauna bathing, intervention. Before and after the PHT intervention the
      participants will undergo one test day during which blood pressure, body composition,
      physical function and muscle strength will be assessed. In addition, before and after the PHT
      intervention period subjects will be complete a 'whole-meal test day' during which the muscle
      protein synthesis and perfusion capacity response will be evaluated following the ingestion
      of a whole food meal. Basal and post-prandial muscle protein synthesis and perfusion capacity
      will be assessed by a continuous infusion of labelled amino acids combined with
      contrast-enhanced ultrasound measurements. Blood and muscle samples will be collected in
      order to assess the muscle protein synthetic response.

      Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary outcome will be post-prandial muscle protein
      synthesis rates following meal ingestion.
    


Intervention name(s): Passive heat treatment
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Participants will be subjected to an 8-week (3 x pw) passive heat treatment, by means of infrared sauna bathing, intervention.
Other intervention name(s): Sauna bathing
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: single arm, within subject study design
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment