Whey Protein Supplementation Enhances Whole Body Protein Metabolism and Performance Recovery after Resistance Exercise: A Double-Blind Crossover Study
Open accessAbstract
No study has concurrently measured changes in free-living whole body protein metabolism and exercise performance during recovery from an acute bout of resistance exercise. We aimed to determine if whey protein ingestion enhances whole body net protein balance and recovery of exercise performance during overnight (10 h) and 24 h recovery after whole body resistance exercise in trained men. In a double-blind crossover design, 12 trained men (76 ± 8 kg, 24 ± 4 years old, 14% ± 5% body fat; means ± standard deviation (SD)) performed resistance exercise in the evening prior to consuming either 25 g of whey protein (PRO; MuscleTech 100% Whey) or an energy-matched placebo (CHO) immediately post-exercise (0 h), and again the following morning (~10 h of recovery). A third randomized trial, completed by the same participants, involving no exercise and no supplement served as a rested control trial (Rest). Participants ingested [15N]glycine to determine whole body protein kinetics and net protein balance over 10 and 24 h of recovery. Performance was assessed pre-exercise and at 0, 10, and 24 h of recovery using a battery of tests. Net protein balance tended to improve in PRO (P = 0.064; effect size (ES) = 0.61, PRO vs. CHO) during overnight recovery. Over 24 h, net balance was enhanced in PRO (P = 0.036) but not in CHO (P = 0.84; ES = 0.69, PRO vs. CHO), which was mediated primarily by a reduction in protein breakdown (PRO < CHO; P < 0.01. Exercise decreased repetitions to failure (REP), maximal strength (MVC), peak and mean power, and countermovement jump performance (CMJ) at 0 h (all P < 0.05 vs. Pre). At 10 h, there were small-to-moderate effects for enhanced recovery of the MVC (ES = 0.56), mean power (ES = 0.49), and CMJ variables (ES: 0.27–0.49) in PRO. At 24 h, protein supplementation improved MVC (ES = 0.76), REP (ES = 0.44), and peak power (ES = 0.55). In conclusion, whey protein supplementation enhances whole body anabolism, and may improve acute recovery of exercise performance after a strenuous bout of resistance exercise.
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Pre-sleep feeding strategies appear to be most efficacious for recovery when consumed after an evening workout when compared to a morning workout.
“it appears to be most efficacious for recovery when consumed after an evening workout when compared to a morning workout [258–260]”
From International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutritional concerns of the female athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [259]
The Conclusions report that protein supplementation after an evening resistance workout, and again the following morning, may improve recovery. The paper does not compare evening workouts with morning workouts, so it cannot establish that pre-sleep feeding is more efficacious after evening exercise. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredApproximately 40 g pre-sleep casein protein ingestion did not enhance functional recovery after a morning bout of exercise in healthy, active individuals.
“Apweiler et al. [259] determined that ~ 40 g pre-sleep casein protein ingestion, did not enhance functional recovery after a morning bout of exercise in healthy, active individuals.”
From International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutritional concerns of the female athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [259]
The Background (page unavailable) mentions 40 g of pre-sleep casein, but reports improved protein synthesis after exercise, not functional recovery after morning exercise. The study itself tested 25 g of whey protein after evening exercise in trained men. Our copy does not report the attributed casein finding. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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References 61 · Cited by 112
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- [39]Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences revised ed. Academic Press New York, NY, USA 1977
- [40]Glass G.V. Smith M.L. McGaw B. Meta-Analysis in Social Research Sage Publications, Incorporated Thousand Oaks, CA, USA 1981
- Authors
- West, D., Abou Sawan, S., Mazzulla, M., Williamson, E., & Moore, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A1, Canada
- Corresponding author
- Moore, Daniel
- Venue
- Nutrients
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2017-07-11
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 735
- ISSN
- 2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5537849
- OpenAlex
- W2734997369
- Cited by
- 112
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 5.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- TSpace (University of Toronto) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- Mitacs
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Keywords
- supplementation, resistance training, post-exercise recovery, whole body protein metabolism, net protein balance, protein degradation, protein synthesis, 15N-glycine tracer, exercise performance, maximal strength, countermovement jump, trained men, trained vs untrained men, muscle protein degradation
- MeSH terms
- Whey Proteins, Adult, Diet, Dietary Carbohydrates, Dietary Proteins, Double-Blind Method, Humans, Male, Models, Theoretical, Nitrogen, Rest, Body Mass Index, Sample Size, Muscle, Skeletal, Cross-Over Studies, Dietary Supplements, Athletic Performance, Resistance Training, Young Adult
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