Whey Protein and Adaptogenic Supplementation in Physically Active Females

Whey Protein and Adaptogenic Herb Supplementation in Physically Active Females: A Randomised Controlled Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether whey protein or plant protein supplements, with or without an adaptogenic herb blend, can improve strength, recovery, stress, and wellbeing in active females. The adaptogenic blend contains ashwagandha root extract and shatavari root extract.

The main questions the study aims to answer are:

Do whey protein and plant protein supplements improve muscle strength and recovery in physically active females? Does adding ashwagandha and shatavari improve stress, recovery, sleep, and wellbeing compared with protein alone? Are there differences between whey protein and plant protein when combined with the adaptogenic blend?

Researchers will compare four supplement groups:

Whey protein Whey protein with ashwagandha and shatavari Plant protein Plant protein with ashwagandha and shatavari

Participants will:

Take their assigned supplement daily for 6 weeks Attend testing sessions before and after the intervention Complete questionnaires about recovery, sleep, stress, soreness, and digestive health Provide saliva samples to measure stress, hormone, immune, and inflammation markers Complete muscle strength tests, including handgrip strength and push-up testing Complete a 24-hour dietary recall

The study includes physically active females aged 18 to 45 years who regularly participate in structured training.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Recovery; Muscle Strength; Sports Nutritional Sciences; Supplements; Muscle Strength Recovery
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Whey protein; Dietary supplement: Whey Protein With Adaptogenic Blend; Dietary supplement: Plant Protein Supplement; Dietary supplement: Plant Protein With Adaptogenic Blend

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • East Sussex
    • Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom
      • Recruiting
      • Strength and Nutrition Ltd
      • Contact: Olivia C Coope, PhD(c); Phone Number: 07882461098; Email: livcwalker@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Female, aged 18-45 years Currently participating in regular structured athletic or physical training (≥3 sessions per week) Free from musculoskeletal injury that would prevent testing Willing to maintain usual diet and training habits during the study Not currently using protein supplements or adaptogenic supplements

Exclusion Criteria:

Pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy during the study period Known allergy or sensitivity to dairy, pea protein, pumpkin seed, chia seed, ashwagandha, shatavari, or nightshades Current use of prescribed medication that may interact with the supplements Thyroid disorders, autoimmune conditions, hormone-sensitive conditions, or other medical conditions that may be affected by supplementation Diagnosed eating disorder or condition affecting protein metabolism Current musculoskeletal injury preventing participation in testing Current use of other protein supplements or adaptogens

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Whey protein; Participants will consume a whey protein supplement daily for 6 weeks. Assessments of muscle strength, recovery, stress, wellbeing, dietary intake, and salivary biomarkers will be conducted at baseline and post-intervention.	Dietary supplement: Whey protein; Participants will consume a whey protein supplement daily for 6 weeks. The supplement will be provided in identical blank sachets. Participants will be instructed to maintain their usual diet and training habits throughout the intervention period.; Other Names: Grass-Fed Whey Protein; Whey Protein Powder
Experimental: Whey Protein + Adaptogenic Blend; Participants will consume a whey protein supplement containing ashwagandha KSM-66® (250 mg) and shatavari SRI-81™ (300 mg) daily for 6 weeks. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and post-intervention.	Dietary supplement: Whey Protein With Adaptogenic Blend; Participants will consume a whey protein supplement containing ashwagandha KSM-66® root extract (250 mg) and shatavari SRI-81™ root extract (300 mg) daily for 6 weeks. Supplements will be provided in identical blank sachets. Participants will maintain usual diet and training habits during the study.; Other Names: Ashwagandha and Shatavari Whey Protein; Whey Protein Plus Adaptogens
Experimental: Plant protein; Participants will consume a plant-based protein supplement daily for 6 weeks. Assessments of muscle strength, recovery, stress, wellbeing, dietary intake, and salivary biomarkers will be conducted at baseline and post-intervention.	Dietary supplement: Plant Protein Supplement; Participants will consume a plant-based protein supplement daily for 6 weeks. The supplement will be provided in identical blank sachets. Participants will be instructed to maintain their usual diet and training habits throughout the intervention period.; Other Names: Plant-Based Protein; Vegan Protein Supplement
Experimental: Plant Protein + Adaptogenic Blend; Participants will consume a plant-based protein supplement containing ashwagandha KSM-66® (250 mg) and shatavari SRI-81™ (300 mg) daily for 6 weeks. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and post-intervention.	Dietary supplement: Plant Protein With Adaptogenic Blend; Participants will consume a plant-based protein supplement containing ashwagandha KSM-66® root extract (250 mg) and shatavari SRI-81™ root extract (300 mg) daily for 6 weeks. Supplements will be provided in identical blank sachets. Participants will maintain usual diet and training habits during the study.; Other Names: Plant Protein Plus Adaptogens; Ashwagandha and Shatavari Plant Protein

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Salivary Cortisol Concentration	Change in salivary cortisol concentration from baseline to post-intervention following 6 weeks of whey protein or plant protein supplementation with or without an adaptogenic herb blend containing ashwagandha KSM-66® and shatavari SRI-81™.	Baseline and Week 6

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Handgrip Strength	Change in maximal handgrip strength measured using a CAMRY dynamometer from baseline to post-intervention.	Baseline and Week 6
Upper Body Muscular Endurance	Change in upper body muscular endurance assessed using the 90-degree push-up test protocol from baseline to post-intervention.	Baseline and Week 6
Perceived Recovery and Wellbeing	Change in perceived sleep quality, fatigue, muscle soreness, stress, and recovery measured using the Hooper Index questionnaire.	Baseline and Week 6
Salivary Biomarkers of Stress, Hormonal Status, Immunity, and Inflammation	Changes in salivary DHEA-S, oestradiol, secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) concentrations from baseline to post-intervention.	Baseline and Week 6
Perceived Gastrointestinal Health	Change in gastrointestinal symptoms and digestive comfort assessed using a gastrointestinal distress questionnaire.	Baseline and Week 6
Dietary Intake	Dietary intake assessed using a 24-hour dietary recall to evaluate habitual nutritional intake during the study period.	Baseline and Week 6

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Sports Performance and Applied Research in Trials and Analysis

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 12, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 20, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 12, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 12, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): May 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 18, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 12, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Exercise; Whey Protein; Sports; Plant protein; Ashwagandha; Adaptogens; Shatavari; Active females; physically active females
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Motor Activity; Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins; Proteins; Food; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena; Food and Beverages; Dairy Products; Milk; Dietary Proteins; Milk Proteins; Animal Proteins, Dietary; Whey; Ashwagandha; Whey Proteins; Plant Proteins
• Other Study ID Numbers: ASH-WHEY-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared with other researchers. Data collected in this study will be anonymised and retained only for the duration of analysis before permanent deletion, in accordance with the study protocol, participant consent, and UK GDPR requirements.

Drug and device information, study documents

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