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Postexercise Dietary Leucine Retention for Whole-Body Anabolism Is Greater With Whey Protein Isolate and Fish-Derived Protein Hydrolysate Than Nonessential Amino Acids in Trained Young Men

Egan, Brendan orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-8327-9016, Moore, Daniel orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-5865-4398, Carson, Brian P orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-8350-1481, Amigo-Benavent, Miryam orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-5376-9708, Fonseca, Guilherme W.P. Da orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-6477-8741, West, Daniel W.D, Aguilera, Jonathan A. orcid logoORCID: 0009-0004-4774-467X, Lees, Matthew J. orcid logoORCID: 0000-0003-1422-0154 and Evans, Mark (2024) Postexercise Dietary Leucine Retention for Whole-Body Anabolism Is Greater With Whey Protein Isolate and Fish-Derived Protein Hydrolysate Than Nonessential Amino Acids in Trained Young Men. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 35 (1). pp. 24-33. ISSN 1543-2742

Abstract
Marine-derived proteins, such as blue whiting-derived protein hydrolysates (BWPH), represent high-quality sources of dietary protein, but their ability to support postexercise anabolism is not established. The impact of BWPH on whole-body anabolism was compared with an isonitrogenous whey protein isolate (WPI) and nonessential amino acid (NEAA) control in 10 trained young males (31 ± 4 years) who, on three separate visits, performed a session of whole-body resistance exercise and then consumed, in randomized crossover fashion, BWPH, WPI, or NEAA (0.33 g/kg; 19, 33, and 0 mg/kg leucine, respectively) with L-[1-13C]leucine. Breath, blood, and urine samples were collected for 6-hr postprandial to assess dietary leucine oxidation, amino acid (AA) concentrations, and 3-methylhistidine: creatinine ratio. Peak and area under the curve concentrations for leucine, branched-chain amino acids, and essential amino acids were greater in WPI compared with BWPH (all p < .05) but with no differences in time to peak concentration. Total oxidation reflected leucine intake (WPI > BWPH > NEAA; p < .01), whereas relative oxidation was greater (p < .01) in WPI (28.6 ± 3.6%) compared with NEAA (21.3 ± 4.2%), but not BWPH (28.6 ± 8.8%). Leucine retention, a proxy for whole-body protein synthesis, was greater in WPI (185.6 ± 9.5 μmol/kg) compared with BWPH (109.3 ± 14.1 μmol/kg) and NEAA (5.74 ± 0.30 μmol/kg; both p < .01), with BWPH being greater than NEAA (p < .01). Urinary 3-methylhistidine: creatinine ratio did not differ between conditions. Both WPI and BWPH produced essential aminoacidemia and supported whole-body anabolism after resistance exercise, but a higher intake of BWPH to better approximate the leucine and EAA content of WPI may be needed to produce an equivalent anabolic response.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:Breath test; recovery; resistance exercise; skeletal muscle
Subjects:Medical Sciences > Health
Medical Sciences > Performance
Medical Sciences > Sports sciences
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Health and Human Performance
Publisher:Human Kinetics Journal
Official URL:https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/i...
Copyright Information:Authors
ID Code:33197
Deposited On:17 Aug 2026 14:20 by Eimear Maher . Last Modified 17 Aug 2026 14:20
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