Effect of fasting on human skeletal muscle mRNA levels

The goal of these studies was to determine the effects of fasting on skeletal muscle mRNA levels in healthy human subjects. Seven healthy adult human subjects fasted for 40 hours and then a muscle biopsy (fasting sample) was obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle. Immediately after the first muscle biospy, subjects then ate a mixed meal. Six hours after the first muscle biopsy, a second muscle biopsy (fed sample) was obtained from the contralateral vastus lateralis muscle. In each subject, mRNA levels under fasting conditions were normalized to mRNA levels under fed conditions, which were set at 1.