Alaska Backcountry Expeditionary Hunting Promotes Sustained Muscle Protein Synthesis

Introduction: We have previously described negative energy balance (ie, −9.7±3.4 MJ/d) and weight loss (Δ−1.5 ± 0.7 kg) influenced by high levels of energy expenditure (ie, 17.4±2.6 MJ/d) during remote expeditionary hunting in Alaska. Despite negative energy balance, participants retained skeletal muscle. The purpose of this pilot study was to measure skeletal muscle protein synthesis and examine molecular markers of skeletal muscle protein metabolism under similar conditions of physical and nutrient stress. Methods: The “virtual biopsy method” was used to evaluate integrated fractional synthetic rates (FSRs) of muscle protein from blood samples in 4 participants. Muscle biopsies were taken to measure molecular markers of muscle protein kinetics (ie, FSTL1, MEF2, MYOD1, B2M, and miR-1-3p, -206, -208b, 23a, and 499a) using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Our findings in 4 participants (2 females [28 and 62 y of age; 66.2 and 71.8 kg body weight; 25.5 and 26.7 kg/m² body mass index] and 2 males [47 and 56 y of age; 87.5 and 91.4 kg body weight; 26.1 and 28.3 kg/m² body mass index]) describe mean muscle FSRs of serum carbonic anhydrase (2.4%) and creatine kinase M-type (4.0%) and positive increments in molecular regulation. Conclusions: Preservation of skeletal muscle under conditions of physical and nutrient stress seems to be supported by positive inflection of skeletal muscle FSR and molecular activation.