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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

22.05.2015

Do strength athletes benefit more from EAS Recovery Protein than out of whey?

A readymade pre- and post-workout supplement containing whey, carbohydrates and HMB helps strength athletes recover faster than ordinary whey. Sports scientists at Ohio State University have written about it in the Journal of American College of Nutrition. That's great. But we grouchy compilers of this free webzine have some comments on this.

Study
The researchers used 13 students, all of whom had been doing weight training for a while, and got them to do a full body workout three times a week. The workout included squats, deadlifts and bench presses so that all main muscle groups were exercised. The subjects took at least 48 hours' rest between workouts.

For a period of three weeks the students consumed a whey shake before and after their workout. During another three-week period the students consumed EAS Recovery Protein, a product manufactured by Abbott Laboratories. By the way, Recovery Protein is no longer available. Abbott now sells a similar product, Muscle Ammo.

Results
In the last week of each of the three-week periods the researchers assessed the amount of muscle damage the students had incurred through the training by measuring the concentration of creatine kinase and interleukin 6 in their blood. Higher levels are an indication of more serious muscle damage.

1-Pre = measurement done just before the first training session of the week;
1-IP = measurement done just after first training session;
1-+15 = measurement 15 minutes after first training session;
1-+60 = measurement one hour after first training session;
4 = measurement at end of the week, after 1 recovery day;
5 = measurement at end of the week, after 2 recovery days.

The students reported less muscle pain when they had consumed EAS Recovery Protein before and after their workouts than when they used whey.

So it's good stuff...
...that Recovery Protein. At least, you'd think so. But if you take a good look at what Recovery Protein contains, you might not be so sure.

The considerable amount of isomaltulose that Abbott has poured into Recovery Protein means that a shake of the stuff contains almost 2.6 times as many kilocalories as an old-fashioned whey shake. No wonder the students recovered faster. But they probably also built up more fat.

Imagine for a moment that the students hadn't been given shakes containing 20 g whey, but shakes containing 52 g whey. Then both products would have contained the same amount of kilocalories. Would the Abbott product still have resulted in better muscle recovery than the whey shake? Honestly speaking, we don't think so.

Conclusion
The researchers are less sceptical about Recovery Protein. They conclude that whey works better when combined with carbohydrates and HMB.

Abbott Laboratories sponsored the study.

Source:
J Nutr. 2013 Apr;143(4):442-7.

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