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Energy and Macronutrient Metabolism in High Performance Athletes (Oral Session 20)

(OR20-02-25) Metabolomic Analysis of the Effects of Leucine and Sucrose Supplementation on Exercise Performance in Athletes

Tuesday, June 3, 2025
8:42 AM - 8:56 AM ET
Location: S230 CD

    Presenting Author(s)

  • YC

    Yashan Chang, Master of Bioinformatics (she/her/hers)

    Research Assistant
    National Institute of Sports Medicine
    Beijing, Beijing, China (People's Republic)

    Disclosure(s): No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

    • Co-Author(s)

  • Tieying Li, PhD in Sport Science

    Side Gate, A2 Gymnasium Road, Dongcheng District, Beijing
    National Institute of Sports Nutrition
    Beijing, Beijing, China (People's Republic)

  • WX

    Wei Xu

    Shanghai University of Sports, China (People's Republic)

  • ZZ

    Zhiguang Zhao

    National Institute of Sports Medicine, Beijing, China (People's Republic)

  • QW

    Qirong Wang

    National Institute of Sports Medicine, China (People's Republic)

Objectives: Studies have demonstrated that both carbohydrates (CHO) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) are effective in enhancing performance and minimizing muscle damage when consumed before and after training. However, the effects of combined CHO and BCAA supplementation and their mechanisms remain to be investigated. Therefore, the present study intends to investigate the effects of 6 weeks of sucrose and leucine supplementation on exercise capacity in cross-country skiers, and to utilize targeted metabolomics techniques to deeply investigate its effects in glycolipid metabolism.

Methods: A total of 20 male cross-country skiers were recruited for this study and randomized into 2 groups: the PLA group (sucrose, n = 10) and the LS group (leucine + sucrose, n = 10). For 6 consecutive weeks, the subjects in the LS group were given 50 mL leucine (8.5g) + sucrose (14g) supplements at 9:00 and 15:00 (pre-training, separately) on Mondays to Fridays, while the PLA group received the same dose of sucrose (14g). During the 6-week intervention, all subjects maintained their regular training program. The test parameters including body composition, aerobic and anaerobic capacity, isometric muscle strength, blood biochemistry, and targeted metabolomics.

Results: After the 6-week intervention, the 60°/S ankle flexion force and VO2max were significantly increased in the LS group compared with the PLA group; there were 4 metabolites significantly up-regulated in the LS group compared with the PLA group, including Beta-Hyodeoxycholic Acid, 23-Norcholic Acid, Alpha - ketoisovaleric acid and Glycylleucine, and the differential metabolite Glycylleucine between the LS and PLA groups was significantly positively correlated with VO2max by correlation analysis (r=0.626, p< 0.05).

Conclusions: Six weeks of combined sucrose and leucine supplementation resulted in more significant improvements in muscle strength and VO2max in cross-country skiers compared to sucrose supplementation alone. This phenomenon may be associated with an increase in Glycylleucine, which is produced during leucine metabolism. The result suggests that leucine could be an important participant in aerobic capacity improvement.

Funding Sources: No funding