Increasing Insulin Availability Does Not Augment Postprandial Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Healthy Young and Older Men

Context: Skeletal muscle protein synthesis is highly responsive to food intake. It has been suggested that the postprandial increase in circulating insulin modulates the muscle protein synthetic response to feeding. Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate whether a greater postprandial rise in circulating insulin level increases amino acid uptake in muscle and augments postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates. Participants and Design: Forty-eight healthy young (age 22 ± 1 y; body mass index 22.0 ± 0.3 kg/m2) and older males (age 68 ± 1 y; body mass index 26.3 ± 0.4 kg/m2) ingested 20 g intrinsically L-[1-13C]-leucine- and L-[1-13C]-phenylalanine-labeled casein protein with or without local insulin infusion. Primed continuous infusions of L-[1-13C]-leucine and L-[ring-2H5]-phenylalanine were applied, with arterial and venous blood samples and muscle biopsies being collected during a 5-hour postprandial period. Results: Insulin administration did not increase overall leg blood flow (P = ...