Carbohydrate & Protein Beverage
Trumps Carbohydrate-Only Beverage for Recovery -- Again!

The debate over nutrient intake during exercise recovery has been ongoing for more than 4 decades. For most of that period endurance athletes have consumed only carbohydrate whereas strength athletes have incorporated both carbohydrate and protein. It is only recently that studies have reported benefits when adding protein to immediate post-workout nutrition for endurance athletes.

In a study published in December, 2008 researchers indicated a significant benefit to ingesting a carbohydrate-protein supplement immediately post-training in cyclists. Fifteen male cyclists consumed either 0.8g Carbohydrate, and .4g Protein, or 1.2g of a carbohydrate only beverage in recovery from cycling as far as possible in 1 hour. Cyclists were then asked to repeat the 1-hour ride six hours after completing the initial trial. The objective was to compare the effects of both beverages on performance in a same-day repeated bout of exercise.

Although performance was impaired during the second ride in both groups, the carbohydrate-only group experienced a greater decline when compared to the carbohydrate-protein group. Moreover, fat oxidation was greater for the carbohydrate-protein group even though they worked at a higher average intensity (i.e. % VO2max) than the carbohydrate-only group.

Based on this and previous research protein appears to enhance fat-loss and improves recovery from exercise when used in combination with carbohydrate following intense efforts. It is important to recognize that the study evaluated younger trained cyclists working at high intensity for 60 minutes. These results may or may not translate well to older or less well-conditioned populations that are seeking to accelerate fat loss yet do not achieve the intensity or duration used in this study.

Berardi, J.M. et al (2008) Recovery from a cycling time trial is enhanced with carbohydrate-protein supplementation vs. isoenergetic carbohydrate supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2008, 5:24doi:10.1186/1550-2783-5-24