Effect of whey protein- and carbohydrate-enriched diet on glycogen resynthesis during the first 48 h after a soccer game

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 508 - 515
• Main Authors: Gunnarsson, T. P., Bendiksen, M., Bischoff, R., Christensen, P. M., Lesivig, B., Madsen, K., Stephens, F., Greenhaff, P., Krustrup, P., Bangsbo, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Denmark Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2013
• Subjects: Adult; association football; Carbohydrates; Creatine Kinase - blood; Creatine Kinase - drug effects; Dietary Carbohydrates - pharmacology; Dietary Fats - pharmacology; fiber types; Glycogen - biosynthesis; Glycogen - metabolism; glycogen content; Humans; Male; Milk Proteins - pharmacology; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Myoglobin - blood; Myoglobin - drug effects; Physical Endurance - physiology; plasma CK; plasma myoglobin; simulated match; Soccer - physiology; Whey Proteins; Young Adult; glycogen content; association football; fiber types; plasma CK; plasma myoglobin; simulated match
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2011.01418.x
• ISSN: 0905-7188

The effect of a whey protein‐ and carbohydrate (CHO)‐enriched diet on the rate of muscle glycogen resynthesis after a soccer match was examined. Sixteen elite soccer players were randomly assigned to a group ingesting a diet rich in carbohydrates and whey protein [CHO, protein, and fat content was 71, 21, and 8E%, respectively; high content of carbohydrates and whey protein (HCP), n = 9] or a group ingesting a normal diet (55, 18, and 26E%; control [CON], n = 7) during a 48‐h recovery period after a soccer match. CON and three additional players carried out a 90‐ and 60‐min simulated match without body contacts (SIM90 and SIM60). Muscle glycogen was lowered (P < 0.05) by 54, 48, 53, and 38% after the matches in CON, HCP, SIM90, and SIM60, respectively. Glycogen resynthesis during the first 48 h after the match was not different between CON and HCP, whereas glycogen resynthesis was slower (P < 0.05) during the first 24 h after SIM60 than SIM90 (2.88 ± 0.84 vs 4.32 ± 0.54 mmol/kg dw/h). In HCP, glycogen content in type II muscle fibers was still lowered 48 h after the match. In conclusion, glycogen resynthesis 48 h after a soccer match is not elevated by ingestion of a HCP diet. Furthermore, glycogen resynthesis does not appear to be impaired by body contacts during a match.