Potential Risk of Leucine Supplementation?

[Think_machine]

I just read this article that I ran into on the home page, written by our own Derek Tresize:

 

http://veganbodybuilding.com/?page=article_derek_011

 

Here is a quote that sums up the biggest concern,

 

"A multitude of research dating back to the 1930s has shown that caloric restriction (reducing daily caloric intake by ~30%) can extend the lifespan of a wide range of species from insects to primates, and quite possibly humans as well. A new study published last year in the prestigious journal Nature pointed to one reason caloric restriction might work: reduced leucine intake. That's right, it's possible that the exact same biochemical process that leucine stimulates to generate new muscle mass is also responsible for accelerating the aging process.

This is kind of crappy because if these research studies are true, then We should all stop trying to be bodybuilders for health reasons. The extra leucine would be needed for to maintain the extra muscle, so the bigger you are, the higher the risk."

 

His sources:

SC Johnson, PS Rabinovitch, M Kaeberlein. mTOR is a key modulator of ageing and age-related disease. Nature. 2013 493(7432):338 - 345.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23325216

 

L Yan, R. F. Lamb. Amino acid sensing and regulation of mTORC1. Semin Cell Dev Biol. 2012 23(6):621 - 625.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22342805

 

BTW, I just finished another tub of the stuff yesterday

[Gaia]

OK, I love these kind of discussions. I just went to PubMed and found this article that totes the aspect of leucine supplementation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24327520

Leucine improves protein nutritional status and regulates hepatic lipid metabolism in calorie-restricted rats.

Pedroso JA1, Nishimura LS, de Matos-Neto EM, Donato J Jr, Tirapegui J.

 

After taking an embryology class and finding out how different we are from rats/mice/rodents, I do not take it too seriously about the outcome of obese rats going on a caloric restriction diet and preserving muscle mass during their large weight loss.

And so they make a generalized statement:

 

"These results indicate that increased leucine intake may be useful in preventing excessive protein waste in conditions of large weight loss".

 

?Can this be comparable to a human who exercises alot (assumed not obese), is going from a diet focused on muscle mass gains to a diet to get the bodyfat down (manipulating nutritional macros), all the while preserving the hard earned muscle mass??

 

IMO: you really need to look at the details of the experiment to get at the truth of the hypothesis, and at what perspective is the answer coming from.

 

mTor is such a big buzzword in the research field. I glanced over the two papers, and saw nothing specific on connecting leucine with ageing. There are too many other factors to consider to make such a broad generalized statement.

[Think_machine]

mTor is such a big buzzword in the research field. I glanced over the two papers, and saw nothing specific on connecting leucine with ageing. There are too many other factors to consider to make such a broad generalized statement.

 

You're very right, Gaia. mTor has become a buzzword lately. Unfortunately, other studies show that leucine helps mitochondrial proliferation, which is a really good thing.

 

At the end of the day, I guess I'm confused why they would post an article so controversial and abstract about something like this on a bodybuilding website (without much more evidence for the claim)