The Effects of Nutritional Supplementation on Occupational Performance in Firefighters

The Effects of Protein and Carbohydrate Supplementation, With and Without Creatine, on Occupational Performance in Firefighters

The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of protein and carbohydrate supplementation, with and without creatine, on occupational performance in firefighters. Research has examined the effects of adding creatine to whey protein and carbohydrates on training adaptations in resistance-trained individuals with mixed finding.

Furthermore, the ergogenic benefit of protein and carbohydrate supplementation, with or without creatine, in firefighters is largely unknown. Therefore, the primary aim of the current study was to examine the effects of protein and carbohydrate supplementation, with or without creatine, on occupational performance in firefighters.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Fatigue
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Creatine Monohydrate; Dietary supplement: Control

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Wisconsin
    • La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States, 54601
      • Fire Department

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being a firefighter between the ages of 18-55 years of age, and medically cleared for field duty.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any current musculoskeletal or neurological condition that would prohibit the completion of performance testing.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Creatine Monohydrate Group; 25 grams of Whey Protein Isolate + 25 grams of Carbohydrate Powder + 5 grams of Creatine	Dietary supplement: Creatine Monohydrate; Participants were assigned to ingest a single serving daily of either A) a 25-gram dose of whey protein isolate + 25-gram dose of carbohydrate powder (ProCarb); or B) a 25-gram dose of Whey Protein Isolate + 25-gram dose of carbohydrate powder + 5-gram dose of creatine monohydrate (Creatine) for a 17-21-day period.
Placebo Comparator: Non Creatine Group; 25 grams of Whey Protein Isolate + 25 grams of Carbohydrate Powder only	Dietary supplement: Control; A 25-gram dose of whey protein isolate + 25-gram dose of carbohydrate powder (ProCarb)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time to completion	Time to completion for tasks including a hose carry, body drag, stair climb, and forcible entry (Keiser sled hammer) for time. For the hose carry, firefighters advanced a 30.48 m section of a charged 4.45 cm hose line over a distance of 30.5 m in a straight line before flowing water for 2 seconds. Rescue consisted of firefighters being instructed to grasp a mannequin (mass 50 kg, height: 180 cm) underneath the shoulders using a "seatbelt" grip and dragging the mannequin 30.5 m backward. This test is known as the body drag. Stair climb consisted of climbing four flights of stairs and returning to the bottom as quickly as possible. In the forcible entry, firefighters struck a simulated forcible entry chopping device (Keiser FORCE Machine, Keiser Co., USA) using a 3.6 kg sledgehammer until completed. The total time to complete each task was recorded, in addition to the total completion time for all tasks summed together.	24 Days
Time Trial	A maximal effort, 3.5 km time trial on an air-braked cycle ergometer (Assault Bike, As-sault Fitness Products, Carlsbad, CA, USA).	24 Days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Ward Dobbs
• Collaborators: Mayo Clinic; Lindenwood University; Des Moines University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Andrew Jagim, PhD, Mayo Clinic

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 22, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2023
• First Posted (Estimated): December 15, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 15, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2023
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Creatine
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Fatigue
• Other Study ID Numbers: UWisconsinLaCrosse

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: Deidentified data is available upon request.

Drug and device information, study documents

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