Critically Appraised Topic (CAT)
Title:
Does post-workout protein intake increase muscular recovery
in young men ages 19 yo 28
Name:
Cary McKinney
Rationale for Topic
Selection:
Since I was young I've always wanted to be big, strong, and
muscular. I used to spend hours looking at bodybuilding
magazines, documentaries, and movies. If it had to do with
being big, strong, and muscular, I had seen it. When I first
started training I had success using what I had learned. Until
my stupidity got the best of me and I began to rack up more
injuries in the gym than weights. As of now, I am exercise
again with modifications, recovering, and getting stronger
every day. Even so, I need to be able to get the most
efficiency out of both my training and nutrition. I found myself
looking back into the old idea of “you should always drink a
protein shake post-workout”. I decided with my newfound
knowledge of scientific research methods, to learn if this claim
was true.
Research Question:
Question: Does post-workout protein intake increase
muscular recovery in young men ages 19 yo 28?
P: Young men ages 19 yo 28
I: Post-workout protein
C: No post-workout protein
O: increased muscular recovery
Search History:
Thankfully for the topic I have chosen, I was able to find a
plethora of studies to match my needs, and as such the
searching process was relatively easy for me. First using the
CGCC library database input that I only wanted to see peerreviewed scholarly articles that linked to the full text. In
addition, I was able to limit the age group of the study results
to the ages of eighteen to forty-four years of age. After
setting my search parameters I simply used my search terms
found below in different combinations to find the necessary
studies to complete my research.
Search Terms
Databases
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Protein
Recovery
Post-exercise
Post-workout
Ages-19-44
Gender-Male
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EBSCOhost
Citations:
Using APA 6th Ed Guidelines, provide the full-text citation of
each peer-reviewed journal article reviewed
Starkoff, B. E., Lenz, E. K., Mattern, C. O., Too, D., & Byrne,
H. K. (2019). “The effect of protein supplementation on
recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage.”
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,
51(Supplement), 546.
https://www.asep.org/asep/asep/JEPonlineFEBRUAR
Y2020_Starkoff.pdf
Roberts, J., Zinchenko, A., Suckling, C., Smith, L., Johnstone,
J., & Henselmans, M. (2017). “The short-term effect of
high versus moderate protein intake on recovery after
strength training in resistance-trained individuals.”
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition,
14(1).
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s1297
0-017-0201-z
Gee, T. I., Woolrich, T. J., & Smith, M. F. (2019).
“Effectiveness of whey protein hydrolysate and milkbased formulated drinks on recovery of strength and
power following Acute resistance exercise.” Journal of
Human Kinetics, 68(1), 193-202.
doi:https://content.sciendo.com/view/journals/hukin/68/
1/article-p193.xml?product=sciendo
Summary of Studies:
(Starkoff, Lenz, Mattern, Too, Byrne, 2020)
Study Design: Randomized controlled trial
Setting: Unknown, possibly Valparaiso University, Valparaiso,
IN OR The College at Brockport – State University of New
York, Brockport, NY
Participants: A total of 20 healthy, active males, age 22.1 ±
3.9
Intervention: There were two separate groups during the 10day, double-blinded, randomized, isocaloric design. These
were the CHO (carbohydrate only) or CHO-PRO
(carbohydrate and protein) group. Subjects were based on
their estimated basal metabolic rate (BMR) using the MifflinSt. Jeor equation. On study day two, an eight-day supply of
food was provided to each subject to begin consuming on day
three through the completion of the study.
CHO = The subjects were given supplemental beverages
containing either 60 gm of CHO (240 kcals) (CHO condition)
CHO-PRO = The subjects were given or an isocaloric
beverage with CHO and PRO in a 2:1 ratio containing 40 gm
of CHO and 20 gm of PRO (240 kcals) (CHO-PRO condition).
Outcome Measures: Following a two hour fast, the subjects
were asked to consume 120 kcals of their supplement one hr
before the baseline testing / EIMD (exercise-induced muscle
damage) exercise session. Upon arrival to the laboratory, a
blood sample was acquired, and lower body muscle
performance was assessed and a baseline level of muscle
soreness was determined. Finally, at the end of the visit, the
subjects completed the EIMD protocol. The EIMD exercise
session consisted of 100 drop jumps from a 0.6-m box.
Participants jumped from the box to the ground, performing
90° of knee flexion upon landing, and then immediately
jumped up as high as they could. There was a 10 sec of rest
between each jump and 2 min of rest between each set of 20
jumps. Serum CK concentration and Serum myoglobin
concentration were measured via a blood sample.
Main Findings: Findings indicate that CHO or CHO-PRO
supplements are similar in terms of recovery from EIMD.
However, based on current literature post-EIMD
supplementation may not be necessary if the diet is of
adequate quality.
(Roberts, Zinchenko, Suckling, Smith, Johnstone &
Henselmans, 2017)
Study Design: Randomized controlled trial
Setting: Anglia Ruskin University, in Cambridge, England
Participants: Sixteen individuals (9 men, 7 women) (two
participants were excluded from the final analysis due to
dietary non-compliance) ages 31 ± 6
Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to a tenday equal calorie period of either moderate (1.8 g./kg) or high
(2.9 g./kg) total protein intake (PROMOD and PROHIGH
respectively). At the end of the first dietary period, participants
returned to habitual intake patterns for 24 h before beginning
the opposing dietary condition.
PROMOD = Participants followed an individual maintenance
calorie intake based on the formula of Katch-McArdle,
macronutrient amounts were 40% carbohydrate, 25 or 35%
protein, and 25 to 35% fat, with the moderate protein group
consuming 1.8g per Kg of bodyweight.
PROHIGH = Participants followed an individual maintenance
calorie intake based on the formula of Katch-McArdle,
macronutrient amounts were 40% carbohydrate, 25 or 35%
protein, and 25 to 35% fat, with the high protein group
consuming 2.9g per Kg of bodyweight.
Outcome Measures: Body density including body fat, fat-free
mass and fat mass values. The following exercises were used
for baseline measurement at one rep max (five attempts were
allowed to reach one rep max), squat, bench press, and bent
over row. TNF-α was also assessed by a multiplexed
electrochemical luminescence immunoassay.
Main Findings: A high protein diet did not improve markers of
muscle damage or soreness following repeated days of
intensive training when daily calorie and peri-exercise protein
intake was controlled. This study indicates that moderate
protein intakes may be sufficient for resistance-trained
individuals during acute periods of intensive exercise.
(Gee, Woolrich and Smith, 2019)
Study Design: Randomized controlled trial
Setting: University of Lincoln in Lincoln, England
Participants: thirty resistance-trained males from a university
population age: 25.2 ± 5.5 years old
Intervention: Participants were evenly and randomly assigned
to one of three groups: the whey hydrolysate-based drink
group (WH), the milk-based drink group (MB), or the flavored
dextrose/carbohydrate group (CHO).
WH = All drink supplements were administered 10 min postexercise, participants consumed their drink within a 10 min
period. The WH contained strawberry flavored whey
hydrolysate (39 g of Strawberry flavor Hydrolysed Whey
Protein Isolate with 97 g dextrose powder as a source of
carbohydrates.
MB = All drink supplements were administered 10 min postexercise, participants consumed their drink within a 10 min
period. The MB condition was two pre-mixed bottles of a
commercially available low-fat berry-flavored milkshake.
CHO = All drink supplements were administered 10 min postexercise, participants consumed their drink within a 10 min
period. For the CHO condition, 133 g dextrose powder was
provided with a strawberry-flavored non-calorie sweetener.
Outcome Measures: Body mass and height were measured.
Participants then completed a total of five bodyweight squats
and subsequently used the visual analog scale to transcribe
their perceived levels of muscular soreness whilst executing
the squats. Each participant then completed a five minute
warm-up on a cycle ergometer at 60 W (60 r·min-1), followed
by three individual countermovement jumps and seated
medicine-ball throws. Following this, participants carried out
another five minute warm-up on the cycle ergometer prior to
isokinetic assessment. The isokinetic assessment included
completing five maximal-effort knee flexion and extension
actions at 60°/s using the dominant-leg after two warm-up
sets, which completed the protocol of assessments.
Main Findings: The study Effectiveness of Whey Protein
Hydrolysate and Milk-Based Formulated Drinks on Recovery
of Strength and Power Following Acute Resistance Exercise
found that there was no apparent difference in recovery
response between WH, MB and CHO condition groups
following intense resistance exercise.
Summary of Evidence:
I previously read in the study The Effect of Protein
Supplementation on Recovery From Exercise-Induced
Muscle Damage that the literature surrounding whether or not
post-exercise protein intake was beneficial for recovering
from exercise-induced damage was still inconclusive.
However, based on the literature I have reviewed it seems
that it is in fact decisively not beneficial to aid muscular
recovery. Two different studies compared the effects of
carbohydrate only post-workout beverage and the effects of a
protein and carbohydrate combined beverage and both
studies found that there was no significant difference in the
recovery of participants from post-exercise muscular damage
(Starkoff, Lenz, Mattern, Too, Byrne, 2020) (Gee, Woolrich
and Smith, 2019). In both of these studies, the caloric and
macronutrient consumption of participants was controlled by
the researchers. In the case of the study The Effect of Protein
Supplementation on Recovery From Exercise-Induced
Muscle Damage, researchers provided food to the subjects
on the second day of the study and asked them to consume
only said food (or additional vegetables under the supervision
of researchers if need be) for the remind eight-day duration of
the study (Starkoff, Lenz, Mattern, Too, Byrne, 2020),
whereas in the study The short-term effect of high versus
moderate protein intake on recovery after strength training in
resistance-trained individuals, researchers asked the
participants to meet a certain macronutrient goal and had
them track their intake on the app “My Fitness Pal” (Roberts,
Zinchenko, Suckling, Smith, Johnstone & Henselmans, 2017).
In addition, I reviewed a study on the use of high or moderate
protein diets in recovery from exercise-induced muscular
damage to see if a link could be found between the amount of
protein taken in and recovery. Again no conclusive evidence
was found that the high vs moderate protein group had better
muscular recovery post-exercise-induced damage (Roberts,
Zinchenko, Suckling, Smith, Johnstone & Henselmans, 2017).
All studies point to the conclusion that in the case of an
adequate quality diet, post-exercise consumption of a protein
beverage does not contribute to muscular recovery from said
exercise-induced damage.
Clinical
Recommendation:
Additional References:
Young men ages nineteen to twenty-eight would most likely
not benefit from the use of a post-workout protein drink
supplement for recovery. However, there is strong evidence
that an increased amount of protein in the diet will support
muscle growth. As such it is important to note that although
post-workout protein drink supplementation did not support
muscular recovery from exercised induced damage, these
studies did not look at any other effects of post-workout
protein supplementation such as increased muscle growth.
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