A beverage containing protein (PRO) and carbohydrate (CHO) may have an ergogenic effect on endurance performance. However, evidence regarding its efficacy on similar conditions to athletes` race day is still lacking. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of 3 different nutritional supplementation strategies on performance and muscle recovery in a duathlon protocol. Thirteen male athletes (29.7 ± 7.7 years) participated in 3 simulated Olympic-distance duathlon trials (SDTs) under 3 different, randomly assigned supplementation regimens: CHO drink (75 g CHO), isocaloric CHO plus PRO drink (60.5 g CHO and 14.5 g PRO), and placebo drink (PLA). Supplements were offered during the cycling bout. Blood samples were collected before, immediately after, and 24 h after each SDT for creatine kinase (CK) analysis. Isometric peak torque (PT) was measured before and 24 h after each SDT. The primary outcome measure was the time to complete the 5-km running section (t5km) at a self-selected pace. There was no difference in t5km between CHO (1270.3 ± 130.5 s), CHO+PRO (1267.2 ± 138.9 s), and PLA (1275.4 ± 120 s); p = 0.87, effect size (ES) = 0.1. Pre-post changes for PT and CK were not significant for any of the 3 conditions (PT: p = 0.24, ES = 0.4; CK: p = 0.32, ES = 0.3-1.04). For endurance sports lasting up to 2 h, with a pre-exercise meal containing CHO at 1.5 g/kg, supplementation with CHO or CHO+PRO does not offer additional benefits for performance and muscle recovery when compared with PLA.
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