Effects of a Blueberry Enriched Diet on the Skeletal Muscle Regenerative Process

Completed · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Skeletal Muscle Disorder

In brief

One of the greatest challenges faced by older adults is maintaining physical function and strength with aging. Deterioration of skeletal muscle with aging leads to loss of mobility, decreased quality of life, and ultimately loss of independence. Skeletal muscle deterioration with aging is multifactorial, with a key factor being impaired skeletal muscle regeneration following damage. Muscle regeneration is a multistep process that requires a viable population of skeletal muscle specific progenitor cells (MPCs). MPCs reside in the skeletal muscle in a dormant state until activated by stress or injury cues. Upon activation, MPCs divide, commit to the muscle cell lineage, and fuse to form new multinucleated cells or repair damaged muscle cells. In older adults this regenerative process is impaired, which amplifies skeletal muscle deterioration. The investigators demonstrated that the ability of MPCs to divide (proliferate) is reduced, while MPC death is elevated in MPCs from healthy older adults. Further, the investigators have demonstrated that impaired nutrient metabolism, cellular inflammation, and oxidative stress are key mechanisms in this age-related disruption of MPC proliferation and overall skeletal muscle health. Therapies that improve the regenerative process and nutrient metabolism as well as attenuate oxidative stress and inflammation are necessary to improve overall skeletal muscle health of older adults. Blueberries have properties that the investigators hypothesize will improve the proliferative capacity (increase cell division and reduce cell death) of MPCs. Additionally, the investigators hypothesize that consumption of blueberries will improve skeletal muscle regeneration in the aging population via improved nutrient metabolism, attenuated cellular inflammation, and reduction of oxidative stress. The hypotheses will be tested using a dietary blueberry intervention. Serum from our human subjects \[blueberry enriched diet (BED)-serum\] will be collected and used to treat primary human MPCs. Ultimately, the investigators hypothesize that a blueberry enriched diet provides an ideal, natural therapy to improve MPC proliferative capacity, which is necessary to attenuate skeletal muscle deterioration.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT04262258

Run by

Cornell University

People needed

22

Starts

2017-09-29

Expected to finish

2019-12-31

Last updated by the study team

2022-02-07

Who can join

Age: 21 and older, up to 79. Sex: female. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Young 21-40 y women
• old 65-79 y women

You may not qualify if…

• known musculoskeletal disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis)
• movement disorder (e.g., Parkinson's disease) or other disorder that might affect skeletal muscle mass, function, or metabolism (e.g. diabetes, cancer)
• obese (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2)
• long-term treatment with exogenous hormones or other pharmacological interventions -known to or that have the potential to influence muscle mass or function (e.g. glucocorticoids)
• antibiotic use within 6 months of intervention

Where it is running

• Human Metabolic Research Unit — Ithaca, New York, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.