Nutritional Strategies to Promote Muscle Mass and Function Across Health Span

Skeletal muscle is a highly plastic tissue that is able to remodel in response to its physical demands. This includes growth (i.e. hypertrophy) in response to the application of external forces (e.g. exercise) and loss (i.e. atrophy) in response to the withdrawal of these forces (e.g. detraining, immobilization). Given its central role in converting chemical energy to mechanical work, skeletal muscle is unquestionably important for individuals in wishing to excel in athletic competition, effectively navigate rehabilitation settings (e.g. return to play, remobilization after injury), and perform activities of daily living (e.g. maintain functional independence with age). In addition, skeletal muscle is a major contributor to basal metabolic rate, acting as a preferred storage depot for dietary sugars and fats, which positions it as a vital tissue for the maintenance of metabolic health. Thus, maintaining an adequate quantity and quality of skeletal muscle is important for optimal health and performance throughout the lifespan.

Skeletal muscle is exquisitely sensitive to the nutrients we eat and thus identifying dietary strategies that can enhance the growth or maintenance of this tissue are vital for individuals of all walks of life. While the quantity and quality of dietary protein and amino acids are important for the regulation of protein synthesis, research has also begun to investigate the impact of nutritive bioactives and nonprotein factors that may independently regulate and/or augment normal postprandial muscle anabolism. Furthermore, the mechanisms by which nutrition may propagate the stimulus for muscle remodeling and how it may control the transcription/translation of select genes is expanding at a rapid pace. Ultimately, identifying the dietary factors related to amount, type, and timing of nutrient ingestion that may promote muscle mass retention or gain are important components to ‘getting the most out of exercise’ and supporting active living.

The proposed research topic ‘Nutritional Strategies to Promote Muscle Mass and Function Across Health Span’ will address relevant research from all angles and perspectives with applications ranging from elite to recreational athletes as well as populations adopting exercise for therapeutic or preventive purposes. We encourage submission of all manuscripts that relate to the study of nutrition to support skeletal muscle remodeling and/or growth in conjunction with sport and physical activity. We welcome both Original Research and Review contributions and specifically welcome submissions from exercise physiology, molecular biology, metabolism, genetics and applied sport science. We hope this unique Research Topic will be a landmark initiative and a new path towards the future of sport and exercise nutrition.