Effects of branched-chain amino acid supplementation and resistance training in postmenopausal women.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether combining BCAA supplementation with resistance training enhances muscle mass, strength, and regulatory factors in postmenopausal women compared to resistance training alone.
Results Summary
Resistance training significantly increased muscle mass, strength, and IGF-1 while decreasing myostatin in postmenopausal women, but BCAA supplementation did not further enhance these effects. Follistatin increased only in the BCAA group, but no differences were found between RT conditions over time.
Population
Postmenopausal women (n=30)
Effective Dosage
BCAA group received 9 g/day
Duration
8 weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Resistance training (RT) | increase | muscle mass and strength | postmenopausal women | - | has been shown to increase | #1 |
Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation | increase | myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) | - | - | acutely increases | #2 |
Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation | decrease | muscle soreness | - | - | decreases | #3 |
RT and placebo (PLA) | increase | muscle mass and strength | postmenopausal women | - | significant increases | #4 |
RT and BCAA | increase | muscle mass and strength | postmenopausal women | - | significant increases | #5 |
RT and placebo (PLA) | decrease | myostatin | postmenopausal women | - | significantly decreased | #6 |
RT and BCAA | decrease | myostatin | postmenopausal women | - | significantly decreased | #7 |
RT and placebo (PLA) | increase | insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) | postmenopausal women | - | increased | #8 |
RT and BCAA | increase | insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) | postmenopausal women | - | increased | #9 |
RT and BCAA | increase | follistatin | postmenopausal women | - | significantly increased | #10 |
control (CON) | no change | any variable | postmenopausal women | - | no changes | #11 |
Short-term (8 weeks) RT | increase | muscle mass, strength, and muscle regulatory factors | postmenopausal women | - | is an effective intervention for improving | #12 |
BCAA supplementation | no change | these physiological changes | postmenopausal women | - | failed to augment | #13 |
BACKGROUND: The age-related loss in muscular function is typically accelerated after menopause. Resistance training (RT) has been shown to increase muscle mass and strength in postmenopausal women. Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplementation acutely increases myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) and decreases muscle soreness following RT. However, the combined effects of BCAA supplementation and RT on muscle mass, strength, and regulatory factors on postmenopausal cohorts are currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the combined effects of BCAA supplementation and RT on muscle mass, strength, and regulatory factors in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Thirty postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: RT and placebo (PLA; n = 10), RT and BCAA (BCAA; 9 g/day; n = 10), or control (CON; n = 10). Muscle mass, strength, and serum concentrations of muscle regulatory factors (myostatin, follistatin, and insulin-like growth factor-1 [IGF-1]) were assessed before and following 8 weeks of whole-body supervised RT (3×/week, 3-4 sets using 60-75% 1-repetition maximum [1-RM]). RESULTS: There were significant increases (P < 0.05) in muscle mass and strength in both the PLA and BCAA conditions. Additionally, myostatin significantly (P < 0.05) decreased, while IGF-1 (P < 0.05) increased following PLA and BCAA. However, follistatin significantly increased in the BCAA condition. There were no differences between RT conditions over time. Furthermore, there were no changes in any variable after CON. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term (8 weeks) RT is an effective intervention for improving muscle mass, strength, and muscle regulatory factors in postmenopausal women. The addition of BCAA supplementation to RT failed to augment these physiological changes.