Evaluating a food supplement to optimise recovery post-exercise

Abstract

Motivation. Super-compensation is the main principal in physical training aimed at improving performance. It entails a catabolic process characterized by skeletal muscle breakdown during exercise followed by and matched with an anabolic recovery process post-exercise characterized by skeletal muscle adaptation and enhanced performance. The recovery process is regarded as the most important phase of this principle, and nutrition has been identified as a major contributor. Physiological recovery during the post-exercise phase usually entails glycogen storage, as well as skeletal muscle repair and adaptation. Increasing the rate of anabolism post-exercise or decreasing the rate of catabolism during exercise could lead to speedy and effective recovery between training sessions, especially with infrequent training sessions. It is thus clear that exercise has a profound effect on skeletal muscle metabolism resulting in a simultaneous cycle of muscle damage followed by repair, as well as glycogen depletion and storage. Carbohydrates, protein and to a lesser extent fat, have been identified as contributors towards enhanced recovery. By regulating the timing, amount, type and combination of these nutrients ingested, anabolism post-exercise can be reached at an earlier stage compared to unregulated ingestion of these nutrients. Various recommendations have been established for the macronutrients in relation to post-exercise recovery. However, the optimal ratio of dietary carbohydrate-to-protein for an increased rate of both glycogen and muscle protein resynthesis, as well as the possible advantages of added amino acids and/or metabolites to enhance this process remains to be elucidated. Little research has been done on both glycogen and muscle protein re-synthesis when the protein source in a dietary supplement is soy. Furthermore, data on the contribution of the antioxidants in soy protein, especially is of lavones, in decreasing oxidative and DNA damage incurred during and post-exercise, are limited. Designing a successful product should also appeal to the acceptability and preference of the consumer. Thus, evaluating a new product in terms of consumer acceptability, preference and consumption intent could add positively to product development. Objective. To develop a soy drink with effective glycaemic index, gastro-intestinal tolerance, and sensory effects, as well as to evaluate it in terms of glycogen resynthesis, skeletal muscle damage, oxidative response, and muscle soreness compared to a carbohydrate drink.

drink was evaluated by 104 athletes (72M; 32F) post-exercise with a validated hedonic questionnaire. ...