Flavanol-Rich Cacao Mucilage Juice Enhances Recovery of Power but Not Strength from Intensive Exercise in Healthy, Young Men

This is the final version. Available from MDPI via the DOI in this record(1) Background: Mucilage within cacao pods contains high levels of polyphenols. We investigated whether consumption of cacao juice enhances the recovery of muscle function following intensive knee extension exercise. (2) Methods: Ten recreationally active males completed two trials of 10 sets of 10 single leg knee extensions at ~80% one repetition maximum. Participants consumed each supplement (ZumoCacao® juice, CJ or a dextrose drink, PL) for 7 days prior to and 48 h post exercise. Knee extension maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and a counter movement jump (CMJ) were performed at baseline, immediately, 24 h, and 48 h post-exercise. Venous blood samples were collected at each time point and analyzed for indices of inflammation, oxidative damage, and muscle damage. (3) Results: CMJ height recovered faster with CJ at 24 h and 48 h post-exercise (p 0.05). There was also no effect of the trial on any blood markers (all p > 0.05). (4) Conclusions: Supplementation with CJ for 7 days prior to and 2 days after intensive knee extensor exercise improved functional recovery as shown by an improved recovery of CMJ up to 48 h post-exercise. However, the precise mechanism of action is unclear and requires further investigation.Industria Agricola ZumoCaca

Accumulating exercise and postprandial health in adolescents

ArticleCopyright © 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.Purpose: To examine the influence of exercise intensity on postprandial health outcomes in adolescents when exercise is accumulated throughout the day. Methods: 19 adolescents (9 male, 13.7 ± 0.4 y) completed three 1-day trials in a randomised order: 1) rest (CON); or four bouts of 2) 2 x 1 min cycling at 90% peak power with 75 s recovery (high-intensity interval exercise; HIIE); or 3) cycling at 90% of the gas exchange threshold (moderate-intensity exercise; MIE), which was work-matched to HIIE. Each bout was separated by 2 hours. Participants consumed a high fat milkshake for breakfast and lunch. Postprandial triacylglycerol (TAG), glucose, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and fat oxidation were assessed throughout the day. Results: There was no effect of trial on total area under the curve (TAUC) for TAG (P=0.87). TAUC-glucose was lower in HIIE compared to CON (P=0.03, ES=0.42) and MIE (P=0.04, ES=0.41), with no difference between MIE and CON (P=0.89, ES=0.04). Postprandial SBP was lower in HIIE compared to CON (P=0.04, ES=0.50) and MIE (P=0.04, ES=0.40), but not different between MIE and CON (P=0.52, ES=0.11). Resting fat oxidation was increased in HIIE compared to CON (P=0.01, ES=0.74) and MIE (P=0.05, ES=0.51), with no difference between MIE and CON (P=0.37, ES=0.24). Conclusion: Neither exercise trial attenuated postprandial lipaemia. However, accumulating brief bouts of HIIE, but not MIE, reduced postprandial plasma glucose and SBP, and increased resting fat oxidation in adolescent boys and girls. The intensity of accumulated exercise may therefore have important implications for health outcomes in youth.Sport and Health Sciences Research Committee, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter

The effects of two weeks high-intensity interval training on fasting glucose, glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in adolescent boys: a pilot study

This is the final version. Available on open access from BMC via the DOI in this recordAvailability of data and materials: The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.Background Current evidence of metabolic health benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are limited to longer training periods or conducted in overweight youth. This study assessed 1) fasting and postprandial insulin and glucose before and after 2 weeks of HIIT in healthy adolescent boys, and 2) the relationship between pre intervention health outcomes and the effects of the HIIT intervention. Methods Seven healthy boys (age:14.3 ± 0.3 y, BMI: 21.6 ± 2.6, 3 participants classified as overweight) completed 6 sessions of HIIT over 2 weeks. Insulin resistance (IR) and blood glucose and insulin responses to a Mixed Meal Tolerance Test (MMTT) were assessed before (PRE), 20 h and 70 h after (POST) the final HIIT session. Results Two weeks of HIIT had no effect on fasting plasma glucose, insulin or IR at 20 h and 70 h POST HIIT, nor insulin and glucose response to MMTT (all P > 0.05). There was a strong negative correlation between PRE training IR and change in IR after HIIT (r = − 0.96, P < 0.05). Conclusion Two weeks of HIIT did not elicit improvements to fasting or postprandial glucose or insulin health outcomes in a group of adolescent boys. However the negative correlation between PRE IR and improvements after HIIT suggest that interventions of this type may be effective in adolescents with raised baseline IR.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Northcott Devon Medical Foundatio

A single day of bed rest, irrespective of energy balance, does not affect skeletal muscle gene expression or insulin sensitivity

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The initial metabolic and molecular events that underpin disuse-induced skeletal muscle deconditioning, and the contribution of energy balance, remain to be investigated. Ten young, healthy males (age: 25 ± 1 y; BMI: 25.3 ± 0.8 kg m-2 ) underwent three 24 h laboratory-based experimental periods in a randomized, crossover manner: 1) controlled habitual physical activity with an energy-balanced diet (CON); 2) strict bed rest with a diet to maintain energy balance (BR-B); and 3) strict bed rest with a diet identical to CON, consequently resulting in positive energy balance. Continuous glucose monitoring was performed throughout each visit, with vastus lateralis muscle biopsies and an oral glucose tolerance test performed before and after. In parallel with muscle samples collected from a previous 7-day bed rest study, biopsies were used to examine expression of genes associated with the regulation of muscle mass and insulin sensitivity. A single day of bed rest, irrespective of energy balance, did not lead to overt changes in whole-body substrate oxidation, indices of insulin sensitivity (i.e. HOMA-IR (BR-B: from 2.7 ± 1.7 to 3.1 ± 1.5, P > 0.05), Matsuda (BR-B: from 5.9 ± 3.3 to 5.2 ± 2.9, P > 0.05)), or 24 h glycaemic control/variability compared to CON. Seven days of bed rest led to ∼30-55% lower expression of genes involved in insulin signalling, lipid storage/oxidation, and muscle protein breakdown, whereas no such changes were observed after one day of bed rest. In conclusion, more than one day of physical inactivity is required to observe the insulin resistance and robust skeletal muscle transcriptional responses associated with bed rest and consequent alterations in energy balance.BTW received internal funding from the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, to support this project. None of the other authors received funding from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors to conduct this research

A model derived from hydrodynamic simulations for extracting the size of spherical particles from the quartz crystal microbalance

One challenging aspect of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements is the characterization of adsorbed particles as the change in resonance frequency (Δf) is proportional not only to the inertia of the adsorbed layer but also to that of the hydrodynamically coupled fluid. Herein, by solving numerically the Navier–Stokes equations, we scrutinize Δf for sparsely deposited, rigid spherical particles that are firmly attached to an oscillating surface. The analysis is shown to be applicable to adsorbed, small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) of controlled size under experimental conditions in which adhesion-induced vesicle deformation is negligible. The model supports a hydrodynamic explanation for the overtone dependence of Δf, and was fitted to experimental data concerning three monodisperse populations of SUVs with different average sizes ranging between 56 and 114 nm diameter. Using this procedure, we determined the average size of adsorbed vesicles to be within 16% of the size that was measured by dynamic light scattering experiments in bulk solution. In conclusion, this model offers a means to extract the particle size from QCM-D measurement data, with applications to biological and synthetic nanoparticles

Temporal Muscle-Specific Disuse Atrophy during One Week of Leg Immobilization

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wolters Kluwer via the DOI in this recordPurpose Musculoskeletal injuries necessitate periods of disuse (i.e. limb immobilization) during which rapid skeletal muscle atrophy occurs. The relative susceptibility of different muscles of the thigh to disuse atrophy remains uninvestigated. We assessed muscle disuse atrophy of individual thigh muscles throughout one week of unilateral knee immobilization. Methods Thirteen healthy, young (20.2±0.6 y) men underwent 7 days of unilateral leg immobilization via knee bracing. MRI scans were performed bilaterally prior to, and following 2 and 7 days of immobilization to determine the volume and anatomical cross-sectional area (aCSA) of the individual muscle groups of the upper legs. Results In contrast to the control leg, total thigh muscle volume had decreased by 1.7±0.3 (P<0.01) and 5.5±0.6% (P<0.001) in the immobilized leg after 2 and 7 days of disuse, respectively. Muscle loss was significantly greater in the M. quadriceps (day 2; 1.7±0.3 (P<0.05) and day 7; 6.7±0.6%) when compared with the M. hamstrings (day 2; 1.4±0.2% (P<0.01) and day 7; 3.5±0.3%) following 7 days of disuse (P<0.001). Individual muscles of the thigh exhibited different atrophy rates with the M. vastus lateralis aCSA showing the greater (2.6±0.4 and 7.2±0.8%), and the M. gracilis the lesser (1.1±0.7 and 2.3±1.0%) decline following 2 and 7 days of immobilization, respectively (P<0.01). Conclusion Thigh muscle disuse atrophy occurs rapidly and is already evident within 2 days of leg immobilization and progresses at a similar rate over the next 5 days (~0.8% muscle loss per day). M. quadriceps muscle shows more atrophy when compared with the M. hamstrings.University of MaastrichtRoyal SocietyUniversity of ExeterNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR

Quartz Crystal Microbalance Model for Quantitatively Probing the Deformation of Adsorbed Particles at Low Surface Coverage

Characterizing the deformation of nanoscale, soft-matter particulates at solid− liquid interfaces is a demanding task, and there are limited experimental options to perform quantitative measurements in a nonperturbative manner. Previous attempts, based on the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique, focused on the high surface coverage regime and modeled the adsorbed particles as a homogeneous film, while not considering the coupling between particles and surrounding fluid and hence resulting in an underestimation of the known particle height. In this work, we develop a model for the hydrodynamic coupling between adsorbed particles and surrounding fluid in the limit of a low surface coverage, which can be used to extract shape information from QCM measurement data. We tackle this problem by using hydrodynamic simulations of an ellipsoidal particle on an oscillating surface. From the simulation results, we derived a phenomenological relation between the aspect ratio r of the absorbed particles and the slope and intercept of the line that fits instantaneous, overtone-dependent QCM data on (δ/a, −Δf/n) coordinates where δ is the viscous penetration depth, a is the particle radius, Δf is the QCM frequency shift, and n is the overtone number. The model was applied to QCM measurement data pertaining to the adsorption of 34 nm radius, fluid-phase and gel-phase liposomes onto a titanium oxide-coated surface. The osmotic pressure across the liposomal bilayer was varied to induce shape deformation. By combining these results with a membrane bending model, we determined the membrane bending energy for the gel-phase liposomes, and the results are consistent with literature values. In summary, a phenomenological model is presented and validated in order to show for the first time that QCM experiments can quantitatively measure the deformation of adsorbed particles at low surface coverage

High intensity interval exercise is an effective alternative to moderate intensity exercise for improving glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in adolescent boys.

JOURNAL ARTICLECopyright © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.OBJECTIVES: High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) may offer a time efficient means to improve health outcomes compared to moderate-intensity exercise (MIE). This study examined the acute effect of HIIE compared to a work-matched bout of MIE on glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity (IS), resting fat oxidation and exercise enjoyment in adolescent boys. DESIGN: Within-measures design with counterbalanced experimental conditions. METHODS: Nine boys (14.2±0.4 years) completed three conditions on separate days in a counterbalanced order: (1) HIIE; (2) work matched MIE, both on a cycle ergometer; and (3) rest (CON). An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed after exercise or rest and the area under curve (AUC) responses for plasma [glucose] and [insulin] were calculated, and IS estimated (Cederholm index). Energy expenditure and fat oxidation were measured following the OGTT using indirect calorimetry. Exercise enjoyment was assessed using the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. RESULTS: The incremental AUC (iAUC) for plasma [glucose] was reduced following both MIE (-23.9%, P=0.013, effect size [ES]=-0.64) and HIIE (-28.9%, P=0.008, ES=-0.84) compared to CON. The iAUC for plasma [insulin] was lower for HIIE (-24.2%, P=0.021, ES=-0.71) and MIE (-29.1%, P=0.012, ES=-0.79) compared to CON. IS increased by 11.2% after HIIE (P=0.03, ES=0.76) and 8.4% after MIE (P=0.10, ES=0.58). There was a trend for an increase in fat oxidation following HIIE (P=0.097, ES=0.70). Both HIIE and MIE were rated as equally enjoyable (P>0.05, ES<0.01). CONCLUSION: A single bout of time efficient HIIE is an effective alternative to MIE for improving glucose tolerance and IS in adolescent boys immediately after exercise

Short-term muscle disuse induces a rapid and sustained decline in daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Physiological Society via the DOI in this recordIntroduction: Short-term muscle disuse has been reported to lower both post-absorptive and post-prandial myofibrillar protein synthesis rates. This study assessed the impact of disuse on daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates following acute (2 days) and more prolonged (7 days) muscle disuse under free living conditions. Methods: Thirteen healthy young men (age, 20±1 y; BMI, 23±1 kg·m-2) underwent 7 days of unilateral leg immobilization via a knee brace with the non-immobilized leg acting as a control. Four days prior to immobilization participants ingested 400 mL 70% deuterated water, with 50 mL doses consumed daily thereafter. Upper leg bilateral MRI scans and muscle biopsies were collected before, and after 2 and 7 days of immobilization to determine quadriceps volume and daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates. Results: Immobilization reduced quadriceps volume in the immobilized leg by 1.7±0.3 and 6.7±0.6 % after 2 and 7 days, respectively, with no changes in the control leg. Over the one week immobilization period myofibrillar protein synthesis rates were 36±4% lower in the immobilized (0.81±0.04%·d-1) compared with the control (1.26±0.04%·d-1) leg (P<0.001). Myofibrillar protein synthesis rates in the control leg did not change over time (P=0.775), but in the immobilized leg were numerically lower during the 0-2 day period (16±6%, 1.11±0.09%·d-1, P=0.153) and were significantly lower during the 2-7 day period (44±5%, 0.70±0.06%·d-1, P<0.001) when compared with the control leg. Conclusion: One week of muscle disuse induces a rapid and sustained decline in daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates in healthy young men.University of MaastrichtRoyal SocietyUniversity of ExeterNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR