Effects of Whey and Pea Protein Supplementation on Post-Eccentric Exercise Muscle Damage: A Randomized Trial

• Main Authors: David C. Nieman, Kevin A. Zwetsloot, Andrew J. Simonson, Andrew T. Hoyle, Xintang Wang, Heather K. Nelson, Catherine Lefranc-Millot, Laetitia Guérin-Deremaux
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
• Series: Nutrients
• Subjects: protein; exercise; muscle damage; creatine kinase; myoglobin; inflammation
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/8/2382

This randomized trial compared pea protein, whey protein, and water-only supplementation on muscle damage, inflammation, delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS), and physical fitness test performance during a 5-day period after a 90-min eccentric exercise bout in non-athletic non-obese males (<i>n</i> = 92, ages 18–55 years). The two protein sources (0.9 g protein/kg divided into three doses/day) were administered under double blind procedures. The eccentric exercise protocol induced significant muscle damage and soreness, and reduced bench press and 30-s Wingate performance. Whey protein supplementation significantly attenuated post-exercise blood levels for biomarkers of muscle damage compared to water-only, with large effect sizes for creatine kinase and myoglobin during the fourth and fifth days of recovery (Cohen’s d > 0.80); pea protein versus water supplementation had an intermediate non-significant effect (Cohen’s d < 0.50); and no significant differences between whey and pea protein were found. Whey and pea protein compared to water supplementation had no significant effects on post-exercise DOMS and the fitness tests. In conclusion, high intake of whey protein for 5 days after intensive eccentric exercise mitigated the efflux of muscle damage biomarkers, with the intake of pea protein having an intermediate effect.