Galactose feeding, exercise, and skeletal muscle metabolism
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Regulation of galactose metabolism in skeletal muscle by galactose feeding and exercise
IRAS ID
330899
Contact name
Gareth A. Wallis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Glucose, fructose, and galactose represent the three main dietary monosaccharides (i.e., the simplest form of sugars or carbohydrates) in the human diet. Galactose is mostly found naturally in milk as part of lactose (lactose is galactose and glucose bound together), and is also found in some fruits, vegetables, and legumes. After its consumption, galactose is thought to be taken up and processed by the liver. However, recent research from our group found that galactose feeding after exercise was able to replenish muscle energy (carbohydrate) stores and we also found preliminary evidence that the enzymes responsible for galactose processing were present in muscle. This research aims to further investigate the presence and activity, in muscle, of the enzymes that control galactose processing and understand if they are affected by exercise and galactose feeding.
The research will be conducted at the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham. The research will recruit healthy participants from the Midlands region in the UK, aged 18 to 45 years who participate in aerobic-based exercise such as cycling, running, and team sports. Participants would be involved in the research for ~3 weeks, and the study will involve undertaking exercise and consuming drinks containing carbohydrates (i.e., galactose) with a variety of procedures used such as blood, urine, and muscle sampling to assess metabolic responses. Research participants will be able to learn about their physiology (e.g., fitness levels) as well as talk to experts about exercise and nutrition during the study.
This research will expand on our current understanding of how carbohydrates are processed in the body and lay the foundation for further investigation into the potential of nutritional strategies including galactose for different populations (e.g., sports people, physically active patients living with type 1 diabetes).REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0067
Date of REC Opinion
20 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion