Application of Deuterated Water (D2O) to Define the Etiology of Musculoskeletal Decline in Ageing and the Efficacy of Nutritional Supplementation

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Maintaining muscle mass and function is important in healthy ageing to maintain quality of life. Loss of muscle mass is major problem, as beyond the age  50, muscle mass declines by  1-2% a year. To prevent this loss, the investigators need to understand the mechanism regulating muscle mass as we age. In this project the investigators aim to determine these mechanisms using a new technique of heavy water ingestion, this allows measurement of multiple aspects of skeletal muscle mass metabolism e.g. protein synthesis, over long periods (6 weeks) as people go about their normal everyday activities. The investigators also aim to determine the influence of resistance exercise training on older muscle, as well as differences between men and women in muscle responses to exercise and nutrition HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate).

Conditions
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Healthy

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Exercise


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Young (18-30y) and old (60-75y) individuals who are generally healthy and recreationally active Exclusion Criteria: Active cardiovascular disease Cerebrovascular disease including previous stroke, aneurysm (large vessel or intracranial) Respiratory disease including pulmonary hypertension or Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Hyper/ hypo parathyroidism, hyper/ hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, diabetes Active inflammatory bowel disease Renal disease Malignancy Recent steroid treatment (within 6 mo), or hormone replacement therapy Clotting dysfunction Musculoskeletal or neurological disorders Any disease requiring long-term drug prescriptions, including statins

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 75 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Young Unilateral Exercise<br>Young Individuals (18-30y) studied before and after 6 weeks unilateral resistance exercise training | Behavioral: Exercise<br> <br> |
| Experimental: Old Unilateral Exercise<br>Old individuals (65-75y) studied before and after 6 weeks of unilateral resistance exercise training | Behavioral: Exercise<br> <br> |
| Experimental: Old Unilateral Exercise and HMB<br>Old individuals (65-75y) studied before and after 6 weeks of unilateral resistance exercise training with HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate) supplementation | Behavioral: Exercise<br> <br> |
| Experimental: Old Unilateral Exercise and Omega 3<br>Old individuals (65-75y) studied before and after 6 weeks of unilateral resistance exercise training with Omega 3 supplementation | Behavioral: Exercise<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Muscle Protein Synthesis | Comparison of muscle protein synthesis between young and older individuals and in response to 6 weeks unilateral exercise training and supplementation | 0-6 Weeks | 
| Muscle Strength | Maximal voluntary contractions of the quadriceps will be performed (leg extension) in the trained and untrained legs. This will be performed at baseline and repeated throughout to monitor training progression | 0-6 Weeks |