The topic of dietary protein and amino acid supplementation remains prominent and contentious in the field of exercise physiology. There is still no compelling scientific evidence to suggest that active individuals need to fortify their habitual diets with protein powders or amino acid supplements. However, there has been debate recently regarding the potential for post-exercise nutrient intake - specifically, the timing and/or composition of protein/amino acid ingestion during recovery - to enhance anabolic processes in muscle after either acute or habitual exercise. Two areas that have received particular attention include possible alterations in rates of (1) muscle glycogen resynthesis after prolonged aerobic exercise and (2) muscle protein turnover after heavy resistance exercise. This brief review summarizes recent scientific literature on these topics and evaluates the various post-exercise nutrition strategies that have been advocated.
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