Branched Chain Amino Acid Plus Glucose Supplement Reduces Exercise-Induced Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness in College Females

The Effects of Branched Chain Amino Acid and Nutrient Supplementation on Exercise-Induced Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness in College Females

The purpose of this study is to determine if a dietary supplement containing branched chain amino acids will reduce the muscle soreness that sometimes occurs in the days following exercise.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Exercise-induced Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Placebo; Dietary supplement: Branched Chain Amino Acid drink supplement

Detailed Description

Supplementation with branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) has been used to stimulate muscle protein synthesis following exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine if supplementation with BCAAs in combination with glucose would reduce exercise-induced delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Using a double-blind crossover design, 20 subjects (11 females, 9 males) were randomly assigned to either BCAA (n=10) or placebo (n=10) groups. Subjects performed a squatting exercise to elicit DOMS and rated their muscle soreness every 24 hours for four days following exercise while continuing to consume the BCAA or placebo. Following a three-week recovery period, subjects returned and received the alternate BCAA or placebo treatment, repeating the same exercise and DOMS rating protocol for the next four days. BCAA supplementation in female subjects resulted in a significant decrease in DOMS versus placebo at 24 hours following exercise (p = 0.018). No significant effect of BCAA supplementation versus placebo was noted in male subjects, nor when male and female results were analyzed together. This gender difference may be related to dose per body weight differences between male and female subjects.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Vermont
    • Burlington, Vermont, United States, 05405
      • University of Vermont

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 25 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Men (n=9) and women (n=11) aged 18-25 who engaged in no more than one hour of light to moderate intensity physical activity per week were recruited from the Greater Burlington, Vermont area.

Exclusion Criteria:

• individuals who engaged in more than one hour per week of light to moderate physical activity
• had been involved in strict athletic competition or weight training in the past six months
• were pregnant or nursing, had a known muscular disease, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and/or were currently taking a protein-based dietary supplement

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Branch Chain Amino Acid supplement; A drink supplement containing 1.22 grams of branched chain amino acids, plus glucose.	Dietary supplement: Branched Chain Amino Acid drink supplement
Placebo Comparator: Placebo supplement; The placebo was formulated to match both the taste and color of the test supplement. Crystal Light Lemonade powder (Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL, USA) was mixed with 5.6g of powdered dextrose (Now Foods, Bloomingdale, IL, USA) to match the amount of dextrose present in the BCAA supplement.	Dietary supplement: Placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Rating Scale	Every 24 hours for four days following exercise

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Vermont
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Stephen J Pintauro, Ph.D., University of Vermont

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 30, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 31, 2013
• First Posted (Estimate): February 1, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 1, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 31, 2013
• Last Verified: January 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: branched chain amino acids, exercise, delayed onset muscle soreness
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Muscular Diseases; Neuromuscular Diseases; Musculoskeletal Pain; Myalgia
• Other Study ID Numbers: CHRMS M12-101