Can leucine supplementation attenuate muscle atrophy? A literature review

Authors

  • Rafael Bruno Do Amaral University of São Paulo.
  • Carlos Eduardo Carvalho Martins University of São Paulo.
  • Antonio Herbert Lancha Junior Escola de Educação Física e Esporte da Universidade de São Paulo
  • Vitor de Salles Painelli University of São Paulo.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-0037.2015v17n4p496

Abstract

Currently, there has been new expectations in studying strategies with the potential to mitigate the skeletal muscle atrophy that characterizes conditions such as aging, disuse, cancer, and the use of certain medications. Among them, amino acid leucine has received special attention due to its potential to stimulate specific pathways of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle. Due to the wide spread use of this amino acid by the media, several studies have been aimed at investigating the possible effectiveness of leucine against skeletal muscle atrophy. As a result, this literature review was aimed to analyze recent studies that investigated the effects of leucine supplementation on skeletal muscle atrophy in both humans and animals. Overall, the wide variations in the experimental designs developed, models studied, leucine dose, treatment duration and sample healthiness make it difficult for professionals and researchers to establish guidelines about possible therapeutic effectiveness of this nutritional strategy.

Author Biographies

Rafael Bruno Do Amaral, University of São Paulo.

University of São Paulo. Department of Biodynamics Applied to Motor Activity. Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism Applied to Motor Activity. São Paulo, SP. Brazil.

Carlos Eduardo Carvalho Martins, University of São Paulo.

University of São Paulo. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition. São Paulo, SP. Brazil

Antonio Herbert Lancha Junior, Escola de Educação Física e Esporte da Universidade de São Paulo

Mestre em Ciências pela Escola de Educação Física e Esporte da Universidade de São Paulo (EEFE-USP), na área de concentração de Biodinâmica do Movimento Humano. Bacharel em Educação Física pela EEFE-USP. Atualmente é doutorando em Ciências pela EEFE-USP e participa como pesquisador colaborador do Laboratório de Nutrição e Metabolismo Aplicados à Atividade Motora da EEFE-USP. Tem experiência na área de Educação Física, com ênfase em Saúde, Desempenho e Nutrição Esportiva.

Vitor de Salles Painelli, University of São Paulo.

University of São Paulo. Department of Biodynamics Applied to Motor Activity. Laboratory of Nutrition and Metabolism Applied to Motor Activity. São Paulo, SP. Brazil.

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Published

2015-07-08

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 4 (2015)

Section

Review Articles

License

Licença Creative Commons

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.