Effects of obesity on autophagy and mTORC1 following anabolic stimuli
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding the effects of obesity on autophagic and mTORC1 signalling following resistance exercise and protein ingestion in skeletal muscle.
IRAS ID
361709
Contact name
Nathan Hodson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 30 days
Research summary
It is well known that people living with obesity often have poor skeletal muscle quality which is characterised by increased amounts of fat within muscle itself. As skeletal muscle is a major contributor to basal metabolic rate and glucose control, increasing the quality of skeletal muscle in those living with obesity could improve the long-term success of subsequent weight loss programs. There are two main activities which are often recommended to improve skeletal muscle quality, resistance exercise (i.e. weightlifting) and adequate protein intake, however, recent research has suggested that individuals living with obesity do not respond as well to these activities as a non-obese person. This research project aims to investigate if certain processes within muscle cells, which regulate muscle size and quality, are reduced in people living with obesity following a single session of resistance exercise and a protein-rich drink. This will hopefully identify processes we can target specifically to improve skeletal muscle quality. The project involves participants attending our lab and completing a session of single-leg resistance exercise and ingesting a protein drink. Before and after this we will take a number of blood samples and small pieces of muscle from each thigh to understand how your muscle reacts and whether this differs between individuals with and without obesity. Following the visit we will the conduct a variety of laboratory analysis on these samples to understand the responses. Overall, this project has the potential to help us design future programmes which can improve skeletal muscle quality in those living with obesity, improving general health and increasing success of weight loss interventions.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/WM/0038
Date of REC Opinion
27 Mar 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion