The Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phase and Protein Dose on Muscle Protein Synthesis

University of Exeter

Status: Completed

Conditions: Muscle Protein Synthesis

Treatments: Other: Menstrual cycle phase; Dietary Supplement: Dose of protein

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05178732

21-10-20-B-03

Details and patient eligibility

About

Adaptation to resistance exercise requires maximal rates of muscle protein synthesis, which can be achieved with post-exercise ingestion of ~20g of protein. These recommendations are based on studies in males and responses in females may vary.

Muscle recovery is related to the ability to build new muscle protein from amino acids (muscle protein synthesis). This response is thought to be impacted in females by hormones that fluctuate across different phases of the menstrual cycle. However, the effect of menstrual cycle phase on muscle protein synthesis is not known.

Enrollment: 28 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 40 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• BMI between 18 and 30
• Recreationally active
• Regular menstrual cycle

Exclusion criteria

• Smoking
• Metabolic disease
• Any motor disorder
• Use of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, during the study.
• Pomegranate, milk or lidocaine allergy
• Taken contraceptives in the past 3 months
• Irregular menstrual cycle (less than 9 cycles per year and a length not between 21-35 days)
• Post-menopausal women
• Pregnancy and lactation

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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28 participants in 6 patient groups

Protein dose 1 and early

Experimental group

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Dose of protein

Other: Menstrual cycle phase

Protein dose 1 and late

Experimental group

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Dose of protein

Other: Menstrual cycle phase

Protein dose 2 and early

Experimental group

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Dose of protein

Other: Menstrual cycle phase

Protein dose 2 and late

Experimental group

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Dose of protein

Other: Menstrual cycle phase

Protein dose 3 and early

Experimental group

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Dose of protein

Other: Menstrual cycle phase

Protein dose 3 and late

Experimental group

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Dose of protein

Other: Menstrual cycle phase