Protein Supplementation in Pilates Training

Effects of Pilates Training and Protein Supplementation on Body Composition, Performance, and Biochemical Indices

Pilates training, a type of mind and body exercise that focuses on muscle strength and flexibility, has become increasingly popular in recent years. Research has shown that Pilates could be an effective exercise form to improve body composition, particularly in obese individuals, while beneficial effects on flexibility, muscular strength, and muscular endurance have also been observed in young and older adults. It is well documented that protein supplementation can augment the effects of resistance training on body composition and performance. While there is an abundance of studies investigating the effect of protein supplements on adaptations to resistance exercise, there is a knowledge gap regarding their effectiveness in Pilates training.

The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of protein supplementation, compared to placebo (maltodextrin) on body composition, performance, and biochemical indices in healthy young and middle-aged, eumenorrheic (regular menstrual cycle) women who perform Pilates. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either 0.6 g of whey protein or maltodextrin per kg body weight per day for 10 weeks. Participants will be asked to avoid modifying their dietary habits for the duration of the study to limit the effect of diet on the measured parameters. To check for this, participants will record their diet for 3 days (2 weekdays and one weekend day) on the first, middle, and last weeks of the intervention. Dietary records will then be analyzed. Pilates classes will be performed at least two times per week, while specialized Pilates equipment (Reformer or Cadillac) will be used according to the Pilates principles. The duration of each workout will be set at around 50 min.

Participants will undergo measurements of body composition, core muscle endurance, and joint flexibility at the beginning and end of the study. In addition, hematologic parameters, clinical chemistry parameters, hormones, and plasma amino acids will be measured. All these outcome measures will be compared between the whey protein and maltodextrin groups to determine the effectiveness of protein supplementation in Pilates training.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Exercise Training; Dietary Supplements
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Whey protein; Dietary supplement: Maltodextrin

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

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Greece
  • Thessaloniki, Greece, 57001
    • Laboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Eumenorrheic (regular menstrual cycle) women
• Regular Pilates training (at least 2 times a week, 50 min each session, for the past 4 months), as assessed by gym records or questionnaires
• Mixed isoenergetic diet for the past 4 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any musculoskeletal injuries that could interfere with training
• Chronic disease
• Milk allergy
• Pregnancy, lactation, or planning a pregnancy within the duration of the study
• Regular use of prescription medicine or supplements that might affect muscle function or recovery over the past month
• Intermittent or religious fasting
• Any vegetarian, ketogenic or protein diet

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Protein; Participants will receive a whey protein supplement.	Dietary supplement: Whey protein; Intake of whey protein
Placebo Comparator: Maltodextrin; Participants will receive an isocaloric maltodextrin supplement.	Dietary supplement: Maltodextrin; Intake of maltodextrin

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Bone mineral density pre-supplementation	Bone mineral density of the whole body and its parts (arms, legs, trunk) will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Bone mineral density post-supplementation	Bone mineral density of the whole body and its parts (arms, legs, trunk) will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Body fat % and lean % pre-supplementation	Body fat as a % of total body weight will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry and multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis. Lean as a % of total body weight will be assessed by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Body fat % and lean % post-supplementation	Body fat as a % of total body weight will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry and multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis. Lean as a % of total body weight will be assessed by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Body weight pre-supplementation	Body weight will be measured with an electronic scale to the nearest 0.1 kg	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Body weight post-supplementation	Body weight will be measured with an electronic scale to the nearest 0.1 kg	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Waist and hip circumferences pre-supplementation	Waist and hip circumferences will be measured with a non-extendable tape	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Waist and hip circumferences post-supplementation	Waist and hip circumferences will be measured with a non-extendable tape	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Plasma glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triacylglycerols pre-supplementation	Plasma glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triacylglycerols (all in mg/dL) will be measured by chemiluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Plasma glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triacylglycerols post-supplementation	Plasma glucose, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triacylglycerols (all in mg/dL) will be measured by chemiluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Plasma amino acid profile pre-supplementation	Plasma amino acid profile (that is, the concentration of each individual amino acid) will be determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Plasma amino acid profile post-supplementation	Plasma amino acid profile (that is, the concentration of each individual amino acid) will be determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Lean mass and fat mass pre-supplementation	Lean mass and fat mass of the whole body and its parts (arms, legs, trunk) will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Whole body lean, dry lean and fat mass will also be assessed by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Lean mass and fat mass post-supplementation	Lean mass and fat mass of the whole body and its parts (arms, legs, trunk) will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Whole body lean, dry lean and fat mass will also be assessed by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Bone mineral content pre-supplementation	Bone mineral content of the whole body and its parts (arms, legs, trunk) will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Bone mineral content post-supplementation	Bone mineral content of the whole body and its parts (arms, legs, trunk) will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Bone area pre-supplementation	Bone area of the whole body and its parts (arms, legs, trunk) will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Bone area post-supplementation	Bone area of the whole body and its parts (arms, legs, trunk) will be assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Joint flexibility pre-supplementation	Joint flexibility will be assessed through the sit and reach test.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Joint flexibility post-supplementation	Joint flexibility will be assessed through the sit and reach test.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Core muscle endurance pre-supplementation	Core muscle endurance (trunk flexor, trunk lateral right, trunk lateral left, and trunk extensors) will be assessed through the McGill's torso muscular endurance test battery.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Core muscle endurance post-supplementation	Core muscle endurance (trunk flexor, trunk lateral right, trunk lateral left, and trunk extensors) will be assessed through the McGill's torso muscular endurance test battery.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Full blood count pre-supplementation	Full blood count will be performed by flow cytometry	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Full blood count post-supplementation	Full blood count will be performed by flow cytometry	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Plasma enzymes pre-supplementation	Creatine kinase and γ-glutamyltransferase (both in U/L) will be measured by chemiluminescence in an automated analyzer	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Plasma enzymes post-supplementation	Creatine kinase and γ-glutamyltransferase (both in U/L) will be measured by chemiluminescence in an automated analyzer	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Cortisol pre-supplementation	Plasma Cortisol (μg/dL) will be measured by immunoluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Cortisol post-supplementation	Plasma Cortisol (μg/dL) will be measured by immunoluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Progesterone and testosterone pre-supplementation	Plasma progesterone and testosterone (both in ng/dL) will be measured by immunoluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Progesterone and testosterone post-supplementation	Plasma progesterone and testosterone (both in ng/dL) will be measured by immunoluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Estradiol pre-supplementation	Plasma estradiol (pg/mL) will be measured by immunoluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Estradiol post-supplementation	Plasma estradiol (pg/mL) will be measured by immunoluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Plasma urea and creatinine pre-supplementation	Plasma urea and creatinine (both in mg/dL) will be measured by chemiluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Plasma urea and creatinine post-supplementation	Plasma urea and creatinine (both in mg/dL) will be measured by chemiluminescence in an automated analyzer.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Total body water %, intracellular water %, and extracellular water % pre-supplementation	Total body water, intracellular water, and extracellular water (all as % of total body weight) will be assessed by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Total body water %, intracellular water %, and extracellular water % post-supplementation	Total body water, intracellular water, and extracellular water (all as % of total body weight) will be assessed by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Total body water, intracellular water, and extracellular water pre-supplementation	Total body water, intracellular water, and extracellular water (all in Lt) will be assessed by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation.
Total body water, intracellular water, and extracellular water post-supplementation	Total body water, intracellular water, and extracellular water (all in Lt) will be assessed by multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.
Body mass index (BMI) pre-supplementation	BMI will be calculated by divinding weight by height squared.	Within one week before the beginning of supplementation
Body mass index (BMI) post-supplementation	BMI will be calculated by divinding weight by height squared.	Within one week after the end of supplementation.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Aristotle University Of Thessaloniki

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 20, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 9, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): May 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 28, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 28, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): May 8, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 22, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 20, 2024
• Last Verified: March 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: PilatesProtein1

Drug and device information, study documents

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