Dr. Luc (Luke) van Loon

So we have milk protein where those labeled amino acids are incorporated.

And then we provide that protein so we can see the digestion.

We see those labeled amino acids coming out of the protein being released to the circulation.

Then we take a blood sample.

We can actually see those amino acids.

So we see how much of the protein that you ingest is released in the circulation.

And then we can even see how much is converted to muscle.

And then you see that it takes much longer to get all those amino acids in the circulation and also to get a longer stimulation of muscle protein synthesis.

So simply regard also the fact that time is a factor in all of this.

But of course, most of us eat one meal and then four to six hours later, the second meal.

And that's why all the previous studies always looked at a four to six hour postprandial period.

I love those questions because the three questions that you now ask is probably seven years of my life.

So one of the things how I should start answering this is that we see a lot of people in the hospital losing muscle.

And so they're admitted to hospital, losing a lot of muscle, and we know that the loss of muscle or muscle mass is an important predictor of clinical complications, readmission, health, et cetera.

So we wanted to do something for patients to reduce muscle loss.

So we thought, like, if we give these just in line with athletes, if we give these elderly people another meal in the evening, can we minimize muscle loss or stimulate muscle protein synthesis?

Now, when you're in the hospital, it's probably the same thing.

You get your last meal about five or six o'clock in the evening, and then the next meal is breakfast the next day at nine o'clock.

So you spend more than 15, 16, 17 hours in an overnight fasted state, which is maybe nice for people trying to lose weight or anything like that.

But for people at risk of muscle loss, it's not a good thing.