Acute L-Leucine Supplementation and Sprint Exercise Elicit Distinct Appetite and Inflammatory Responses in Persons...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Physiology
• Nutritional Biochemistry
• Appetite Regulation

Background:

• Overweight individuals often experience altered appetite regulation.
• L-leucine supplementation and high-intensity exercise are potential modulators of appetite-controlling neuropeptides and inflammatory markers.
• Understanding the interplay between exercise, L-leucine, and appetite hormones is crucial for managing weight and metabolic health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the acute effects of L-leucine supplementation combined with high-intensity sprint exercise on appetite-controlling neuropeptides.
• To assess the impact on subjective perception of appetite (SPA) and satiety (SPS), food intake, and inflammatory responses in overweight adults.
• To explore the association between neuropeptide and cytokine changes with subjective appetite and food intake.

Main Methods:

• A double-masked, randomized, counterbalanced, crossover design involving 12 sedentary overweight men.
• Four experimental conditions: exercise with L-leucine (EX-Leu), exercise with placebo (EX-PLA), sedentary with L-leucine (SED-Leu), and sedentary with placebo (SED-PLA).
• Measurements included food intake, SPA, SPS, neuropeptides (GLP-1, PYY, CCK, ghrelin), and cytokines (IL1-beta, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α) following acute sprint exercise and L-leucine/placebo supplementation.

Main Results:

• Both exercise (EX-PLA, EX-Leu) and L-leucine (SED-Leu) reduced subjective appetite perception (SPA) compared to placebo without exercise (SED-PLA).
• Sprint exercise with placebo (EX-PLA) improved subjective satiety (SPS), and both exercise conditions (EX-PLA, EX-Leu) reduced food intake.
• L-leucine supplementation with exercise induced a pro-inflammatory response (increased IL-6, IL1-β), while exercise alone showed an anti-inflammatory profile.

Conclusions:

• Sprint exercise demonstrated a consistent acute anorexic effect, reducing appetite and food intake in overweight men.
• L-leucine supplementation, particularly when combined with exercise, appears to influence the inflammatory balance, potentially aiding appetite control.
• The independent effects of L-leucine on satiety and food intake require further investigation, highlighting the complex interactions between exercise, nutrition, and appetite regulation.