Protein Supplementation and Endurance Exercise Adaptations

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

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Exercise
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Protein

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 44
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Netherlands
  • Gelderland
    • Wageningen, Gelderland, Netherlands, 6708 WE
      • Wageningen University & Research

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 30 years (ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Male

Description

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)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: DOUBLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Protein; Three endurance training sessions weekly with protein supplementation post-exercise and before sleep.	Dietary supplement: Protein; Three endurance training sessions weekly with protein supplementation post-exercise and before sleep.
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Carbohydrate; Three endurance training sessions weekly with carbohydrate supplementation post-exercise and before sleep.	Dietary supplement: Protein; Three endurance training sessions weekly with protein supplementation post-exercise and before sleep.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Maximal whole-body oxidative capacity	Maximal oxygen consumption in ml per kg of bodyweight	Baseline
Maximal whole-body oxidative capacity	Maximal oxygen consumption in ml per kg of bodyweight	6 weeks
Maximal whole-body oxidative capacity	Maximal oxygen consumption in ml per kg of bodyweight	12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Endurance Performance	10-km simulated time trial performance in seconds	Baseline
Endurance Performance	10-km simulated time trial performance in seconds	6 weeks
Endurance Performance	10-km simulated time trial performance in seconds	12 weeks
Maximal activity of citrate synthase	Maximal activity of citrate synthase in micromol per gram per minute	Baseline
Maximal activity of citrate synthase	Maximal activity of citrate synthase in micromol per gram per minute	6 weeks
Maximal activity of citrate synthase	Maximal activity of citrate synthase in micromol per gram per minute	12 weeks
Maximal activity of Cytochrome c oxidase	Maximal activity of Cytochrome c oxidase in micromol per gram per minute	Baseline
Maximal activity of Cytochrome c oxidase	Maximal activity of Cytochrome c oxidase in micromol per gram per minute	6 weeks
Maximal activity of Cytochrome c oxidase	Maximal activity of Cytochrome c oxidase in micromol per gram per minute	12 weeks
Erythrocytes	Erythrocytes count/pL	Baseline
Erythrocytes	Erythrocytes count/pL	2 weeks
Erythrocytes	Erythrocytes count/pL	4 weeks
Erythrocytes	Erythrocytes count/pL	6 weeks
Erythrocytes	Erythrocytes count/pL	8 weeks
Erythrocytes	Erythrocytes count/pL	10 weeks
Erythrocytes	Erythrocytes count/pL	12 weeks
Hemoglobin	Hemoglobin mmol/L	Baseline
Hemoglobin	Hemoglobin mmol/L	2 weeks
Hemoglobin	Hemoglobin mmol/L	4 weeks
Hemoglobin	Hemoglobin mmol/L	6 weeks
Hemoglobin	Hemoglobin mmol/L	8 weeks
Hemoglobin	Hemoglobin mmol/L	10 weeks
Hemoglobin	Hemoglobin mmol/L	12 weeks
Hematocrit	Hematocrit L/L	Baseline
Hematocrit	Hematocrit L/L	2 weeks
Hematocrit	Hematocrit L/L	4 weeks
Hematocrit	Hematocrit L/L	6 weeks
Hematocrit	Hematocrit L/L	8 weeks
Hematocrit	Hematocrit L/L	10 weeks
Hematocrit	Hematocrit L/L	12 weeks
Lean mass	Lean mass kg	Baseline
Lean mass	Lean mass kg	6 weeks
Lean mass	Lean mass kg	12 weeks
Fat mass	Fat mass kg	Baseline
Fat mass	Fat mass kg	6 weeks
Fat mass	Fat mass kg	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Wageningen University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Knuiman P, Hangelbroek R, Boekschoten M, Hopman M, Mensink M. Impact of protein supplementation during endurance training on changes in skeletal muscle transcriptome. BMC Genomics. 2020 Jun 9;21(1):397. doi: 10.1186/s12864-020-6686-x.
• Knuiman P, van Loon LJC, Wouters J, Hopman M, Mensink M. Protein supplementation elicits greater gains in maximal oxygen uptake capacity and stimulates lean mass accretion during prolonged endurance training: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2019 Aug 1;110(2):508-518. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqz093.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): August 1, 2017
• Primary Completion (ACTUAL): May 28, 2018
• Study Completion (ACTUAL): June 1, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 26, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 8, 2018
• First Posted (ACTUAL): March 12, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): March 20, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 16, 2019
• Last Verified: March 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: NL5988508116

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No