Introduction: There is limited knowledge about the effect of protein on adaptation to endurance training. We aimed to examine effect of carbohydrate plus whey hydrolysate intake vs. isocaloric carbohydrate before and after each exercise session on endurance performance and mitochondrial adaptation in athletes during six weeks of endurance training. Methods: 30 well-trained endurance runners (aged 30,15y +/-8,65; maximum oxygen uptake 60,75 ml O2/kg/min1 +/- 3,73) participated in a block-randomized controlled intervention trial including six weeks of endurance training. Half of the runners ingested a protein beverage before (0.3 g/kg) and proteincarbohydrate beverage (0.3 g protein/kg and 1 g carbohydrate/kg) after each exercise session (PRO+CHO). The other half of the group ingested energy matched carbohydrate beverages (CHO). The groups were matched two and two for age, training and performance status and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Before and after the intervention period a muscle biopsy and blood samples were obtained and the runners performed a VO2max test, a 6 K performance test and had body compositions determined. Each participant kept diary 24 hours before each test to ensure nutritional status was identical before each tests. Food registration diary was obtained for four days in the beginning and end of the intervention period. Results: Performance in 6 K-run test improved from baseline (p=0.001). No difference in improvement was detected between CHO+PRO and CHO at any time (midway: p=0.68, n=9 matched pairs; after the intervention: p=0.98, n=8 matched pairs). No overall change in VO2max (ml O2/kg1/min1) was detected during the intervention period (p=0.47) or between the groups (p=0.46). In line, Vo2max (L/min) was not effected during the intervention period (p=0.30) and nor changed between intervention (p=0.48, n=9 matched pairs). Conclusions: Preliminary results show no observed difference in VO2max, but an overall improvement in performance was observed in 6 K-run test after six weeks of endurance training. Ingested PRO+CHO beverages before and after each training session did not have any additive ergogen effect on adaptation to training compared to isocaloric CHO.
© Copyright 2014 19th Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), Amsterdam, 2. - 5. July 2014. Veröffentlicht von VU University Amsterdam. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.