There is a press release that got forwarded to me by someone I trust
out on some new human geriatric research and new rat research which
might help aging ferrets if it also turns out to apply for them.
 
Leucine supplementation prevented muscle loss.
 
The work is from Lydie Combaret, Dominique Dardevet and colleagues at the
Human Nutrition Research Centre of Auvergne, INRA, Clermont- Ferrand,
France.
 
In humans after 40 we begin to lose 1/2% to 2% of our muscle mass per
year, all else remaining unchanged and the cause -- remember these are
individuals who didn't change in ways that made them couch potatoes -- is
thought to be less effective breakdown of protein into some of the amino
acids.  It was already known that adding leucine restored muscle protein
building in the body, but not if leucine affected the breakdown process
itself.  It turns out at adding leucine in rat diets actually improved
the process of breaking digested protein into the amino acids the body
uses.
 
START QUOTE
The team of researchers believe that the age-related problem results
from defective inhibition of ubiquitin-proteasome dependent proteoloysis,
a complex degradative machinery that breaks down contractile muscle
protein, and that leucine supplementation can fully restore correct
function.
 
"Preventing muscle wasting is a major socio-economic and public health
issue, that we may be able to combat with a leucine-rich diet," says
senior co-author Didier Attaix.
 
Commenting on the work Michael Rennie from the University of Nottingham
Medical School at Derby says: "This is exciting because it strengthens
the idea of a co-ordinated linkage between the meal- related stimulation
of protein synthesis and the inhibition of breakdown."
 
END QUOTE
 
I will have to search Pubmed.
 
-- Sukie (not a vet)
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[Posted in FML issue 5080]