Pre-sleep Protein Supplementation in British Army Recruits

Pre-sleep Protein Supplementation Does Not Improve Performance, Body Composition and Recovery in British Army Recruits

Dietary protein has been shown to be important to support physical training. For occupational demands such as military training, new recruits often fail to meet the recommended protein intake during basic training (BT), with negligible amounts consumed in the evening. As such, individuals undertaking BT may require higher intakes than the general population.This study assessed the influence of a daily bolus of protein prior to sleep on performance adaptations, body composition and recovery in British Army recruits.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Body Weight; Recovery; Protein-energy; Imbalance
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: High protein supplement; Dietary supplement: Moderate protein supplement; Dietary supplement: Carbohydrate placebo; Other: Control: No supplementation

Detailed Description

Dietary protein is crucial for optimising physical training adaptations such as muscular strength and mass, which are key aims for athletic populations, including British Army recruits. New recruits fail to meet the recommended protein intake during basic training (BT), with negligible amounts consumed in the evening. This study aimed to assess the influence of a daily bolus of protein prior to sleep on performance adaptations, body composition and recovery in British Army recruits. The study will recruit a mixed cohort of >120 new recruits from the United Kingdom (UK) British Army who will be randomised into a dietary control (CON), carbohydrate placebo (PLA), moderate (20g) protein (MOD) or high (60g) protein (HIGH) supplementation group. Supplements will be isocaloric and consumed daily on weekday evenings between 2000 and 2100h for 10 weeks during BT, alongside standardised dietary intake and BT activities. Performance tests (mid-thigh pull, medicine ball throw, 2km run time, maximal push-up and maximal vertical jump) and body composition will be assessed at the start and end of BT under standardised conditions. Dietary intake, energy expenditure, salivary hormones, urinary nitrogen balance, perceived muscle soreness, rating of perceived exertion, mood and fatigue will be assessed at the start, middle and end of BT. The underlying aim of this study is to assess whether inclusion of nocturnal protein supplementation will influence performance adaptations, body composition changes or acute recovery in British Army recruits.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 122
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Cambridgeshire
    • Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, CB1 1PT
      • Anglia Ruskin University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Enrolled into British Army basic training
• Medically fit to start Army training

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not taking any other nutritional supplement
• Not currently pregnant
• Not dairy or lactose intolerant or have any specific dietary requirements .

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: High protein intake supplementation; A daily 60g dose of whey protein supplementation received between 8-9pm during BT.	Dietary supplement: High protein supplement; The participants received a 60g protein bolus each evening prior to sleep from week 3 to week 12 of training.
Experimental: Moderate protein intake supplementation; A daily 20g dose of whey protein supplementation received between 8-9pm during BT.	Dietary supplement: Moderate protein supplement; The participants received a 20g protein bolus each evening prior to sleep from week 3 to week 12 of training.
Placebo Comparator: Carbohydrate placebo supplementation; A daily isocaloric carbohydrate (maltodextrin) placebo received between 8-9pm during BT.	Dietary supplement: Carbohydrate placebo; The participants received an isocaloric carbohydrate bolus each evening prior to sleep from week 3 to week 12 of training.
Other: Control group; Control group, no daily supplement received, only participating in BT.	Other: Control: No supplementation; The participants did not receive any supplementation but instead acted as a control group doing BT only

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Lower body strength performance	Mid-thigh pull	12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body composition	Fat-free mass	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Anglia Ruskin University
• Collaborators: University of Exeter
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Justin D Roberts, PhD, Anglia Ruskin University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): May 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 3, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 11, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): August 21, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 21, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 11, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Body Weight
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1076/MODREC/20

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