Whey protein improves marathon-induced injury and exercise performance in elite track runners

Wen Ching Huang, Yung Cheng Chang, Yi Ming Chen, Yi Ju Hsu, Chi Chang Huang, Nai Wen Kan, Sheng Shih Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Whey protein has been widely applied to athletes and the fitness field for muscle growth and performance improvement. Limited studies focused on the beneficial effects of whey on aerobic exercise according to biochemical assessments. In the current study, 12 elite male track runners were randomly assigned to whey and maltodextrin groups for 5 weeks' supplementation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of whey protein on physiological adaptions and exercise performance. During this period, three time points (pre-, post-, and end-test) were used to evaluate related biochemical parameters, body composition, and performance. The post-test was set 1 day after a marathon for injury status evaluation and the end-test was also assessed after 1-week recovery from endurance test. The results showed that the whey group exhibited significantly lower aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase indicators after the marathon (post-test), as well as at the end-test (p<0.016). The endurance performance in twelve-minute walk/run was also significantly elevated (p<0.012) possibly due to an increase in the muscle mass and amelioration of exercise injuries. In the current study, we demonstrated that whey protein can also be used for aerobic exercise for better physiological adaptation, in addition to resistance training. Whey protein could be also a potential nutrient supplement with a variety of benefits for amateur runners.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)648-654
Number of pages7
JournalInternational Journal of Medical Sciences
Volume14
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 22 2017

Keywords

  • Aerobic exercise
  • Clinical biochemistry
  • Performance
  • Running
  • Whey protein

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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