Nutritionally non-essential amino acids are dispensable for whole-body protein synthesis after exercise in endurance athletes with an adequate essential amino acid intake

Abstract

The increased protein requirement of endurance athletes may be related to the need to replace exercise-induced oxidative losses, especially of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA). However, it is unknown if non-essential amino acids (NEAA) influence the requirement for essential amino acids (EAA) during post-exercise recovery. Seven endurance-trained males ran 20 km prior to consuming [¹³C]phenylalanine, sufficient energy, and: (1) deficient protein (BASE); (2) BASE supplemented with sufficient BCAA (BCAAsup); (3) an equivalent EAA intake as BCAA (LowEAA), and; (4) sufficient EAA intake (HighEAA). [¹³C]Phenylalanine oxidation (the reciprocal of protein synthesis) for BCAAsup and HighEAA (0.54 ± 0.15, 0.49 ± 0.11 µmol kg^-1 h^-1; Mean ± SD) were significantly lower than BASE (0.74 ± 0.14 µmol kg^-1 h^-1; P < 0.01 for both) and LowEAA (0.70 ± 0.11 µmol kg^-1 h^-1; P < 0.05 and 0.01, respectively). Our results suggest that exogenous NEAA are dispensable for whole-body protein synthesis during recovery from endurance exercise provided sufficient EAA are consumed. Endurance athletes who may be at risk of not meeting their elevated protein requirements should prioritize the intake of EAA-enriched foods and/or supplements.

Keywords: Amino acid requirement; Endurance training; Non-essential amino acids; Post-exercise recovery; Protein synthesis.