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Protein Supplementation and Endurance Exercise Adaptations

The Impact of Protein Supplementation to Maximize Skeletal Muscle Endurance Training Adaptations in Healthy Young Men

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03462381
Enrollment
44
Registered
2018-03-12
Start date
2017-08-01
Completion date
2018-06-01
Last updated
2019-03-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Exercise

Brief summary

Participants will perform three endurance training sessions weekly for 12 weeks. All participants will be randomly assigned to the protein supplementation group or the placebo (iso-caloric carbohydrate) group. During the 12 weeks endurance training program participants allocated to the protein group (30 g protein per beverage) will receive a protein drink after exercise and prior to sleep at night on training days. On non-training days participants will only receive a protein drink before sleep. Participants allocated to the carbohydrate group (30 g carbohydrates) will receive a carbohydrate drink instead of a protein drink.

Detailed description

In the proposed study, the effects of protein supplementation after training and before sleep on VO2max and performance will be assessed during 12 weeks endurance exercise training in untrained healthy young men. The ready to drink carbohydrate beverage consists of 30g carbohydrate or 30g protein. Previous studies show that the supplementation of 30g protein is in the optimal range to stimulate the muscle protein synthetic response following resistance type exercise. The protein supplementation group in the present study will be compared with an iso-caloric carbohydrate group. In addition, to the pre- and post-intervention biopsies 1 additional muscle biopsies will be taken (in week 6) during the 12 week intervention period. This will create a unique opportunity to establish the timeline of the skeletal muscle adaptive response at functional and mechanistic level following prolonged endurance exercise training, including potential differences between both groups.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTProtein

Three endurance training sessions weekly with protein supplementation post-exercise and before sleep.

Sponsors

Wageningen University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Intervention model description

Participants will perform three endurance training sessions weekly for 12 weeks. All participants will be randomly assigned to the protein supplementation group or the placebo (iso-caloric carbohydrate) group. During the 12 weeks endurance training program participants allocated to the protein group (30 g protein per beverage) will receive a protein drink after exercise and prior to sleep at night on training days. On non-training days participants will only receive a protein drink before sleep. Participants allocated to the carbohydrate group (30 g carbohydrates) will receive a carbohydrate drink instead of a protein drink.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Male * Age between 18 and 30 years of age * BMI between 18.5 - 25 kg/m2 * Recreationally active, performing sports on a non-competitive basis * Maximal wattage of \> 5 watt per kg bodyweight (screening measurement) * Willing to give muscle biopsies * Willing to give blood samples * Having a general-practitioner * Consumption of alcohol beverages is less than 21 per week * Able to perform three exercise sessions weekly for 10 weeks

Exclusion criteria

* Medical condition that can interfere with the study outcome (i.e. cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, liver or renal disease, diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2) * Having a lactose and/or gluten intolerance * Use of systemic medication (with the exception of antihistaminic medication and the use of occasional painkillers) * (Chronic) injuries of the locomotor system (e.g. musculoskeletal/orthopedic disorders) that can interfere with the intervention * Participants who are enrolled in an interventional biomedical research project or have received an investigational new drug or product with the last 30 days prior to screening. * Smokers and use of illicit drugs * Blood donor during the study and in the three months before start of the study * Employed, or intern, or working on a thesis at the department of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University & Research * Participating in another scientific study (except EetMeetWeet)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Maximal whole-body oxidative capacityBaselineMaximal oxygen consumption in ml per kg of bodyweight

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Maximal activity of citrate synthaseBaselineMaximal activity of citrate synthase in micromol per gram per minute
Maximal activity of Cytochrome c oxidaseBaselineMaximal activity of Cytochrome c oxidase in micromol per gram per minute
ErythrocytesBaselineErythrocytes count/pL
Endurance PerformanceBaseline10-km simulated time trial performance in seconds
HematocritBaselineHematocrit L/L
Lean massBaselineLean mass kg
Fat massBaselineFat mass kg
HemoglobinBaselineHemoglobin mmol/L

Countries

Netherlands

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 2, 2026