Whey protein supplementation does not accelerate recovery from a single bout of eccentric exercise

The current double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with two parallel groups aimed to assess the impact of whey protein supplementation on recovery of muscle function and muscle soreness following eccentric exercise. During a 9-day period, forty recreationally active males received twice daily supplementation with either whey protein (PRO; 60 g/day) or an iso-energetic amount of carbohydrate (CON). Muscle function and soreness were assessed before, and 0, 3, 24, 48, and 72 h after performing 100 drop jumps. Recovery of isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) did not significantly differ between groups (timextreatment,P= 0.56). In contrast, the recovery of isokinetic MVC at 90 degrees center dot s(-1)was faster in CON as opposed to PRO (timextreatment interaction,P= 0.044). Recovery of isokinetic MVC at 180 degrees center dot s(-1)was also faster in CON as opposed to PRO (timextreatment interaction,P= 0.011). Recovery of countermovement jump performance did not differ between groups (timextreatment interaction,P= 0.52). Muscle soreness, CK and CRP showed a transient increase over time (P< 0.001), with no differences between groups. In conclusion, whey protein supplementation does not accelerate recovery of muscle function or attenuate muscle soreness and inflammation during 3 days of recovery from a single bout of eccentric exercise.

Automated summary

The study found that whey protein supplementation did not significantly impact muscle function recovery or muscle soreness following eccentric exercise, while carbohydrate supplementation was associated with faster recovery of MVC speed.