Helping Climbers Store Muscle

Reported August 29, 2011

(Ivanhoe Newswire) – Researchers are going the distance. A new study shows evidence
that the amino acid leucine, which is found in foods, dietary supplements, energy bars and other products, may help people burn fat when going without food, such as high altitudes, while keeping their muscle tissue.

Extreme weather condition, low oxygen levels and strenuous exercise during climbs create a huge nutritional challenge. Climbers often can’t or do not eat enough calories to replenish their bodies. At high altitudes, fat and muscle loss occurs not only when climbing, but also at rest. Now researchers at the University of Utah are helping these thrill seekers find the solution to their problem by studying leucine.

"We knew that leucine has been shown to help people on very low-calorie, or so-called 'calorie-restricted diets,' stay healthy at sea level,” Wayne Askew, Ph.D., was quoted saying. “It's one of the components, the building blocks, of protein, but no one had tested whether leucine would help people stay healthy and strong at high altitudes, so we added leucine to specially prepared food bars that we gave to the climbers."

In a pilot study researchers conducted a study of 10 climbers for 6-8 weeks as they ascended Mt. Everest. They went to base camp and measured the fat and muscle of the expedition members using an ultrasound device placed on the skin to analyze the data to determine whether the climbers who at the leucine bar retained more muscle than those who ate bars that did not contain leucine.

They found the type of food which contained the leucine was extremely important; The Everest climbers experienced problems consuming the three food bars per day that contained the additional leucine.

Researchers stressed this was a small pilot study so define conclusions of its benefits at altitude are still being measured with a more controlled clinical study. They hope the findings can one day help people at lower altitude who are trying to lose wait but keep their mass and elderly, who don’t eat or exercise enough to maintain strength.

Source: 242nd National meeting & Exposition of The American Chemical Society (ACS), August 2011.