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Protein Rich Meal vs Carbohydrate Rich Meal

Anaerobic Exercise Test

Lab Report #2

KIN 291: Sports Nutrition

Nick Smith
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Introduction:

Proteins are one of the three macronutrients. As a

macronutrient one of the main roles that it plays is providing

energy for the body. Proteins are made up of a chain of amino

acids. There are 11 nonessential amino acids, meaning that our

body can make or manipulate other amino acids to get these if we

do not consume them, and theres 9 essential amino acids. The

essential amino acids must be consumed by an individual either

through food or supplementation, as we cannot make these amino

acids (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). Protein is the main

nutrient that athletes or people who work out regularly need to

consume more of than normal. Especially female athletes, its

common in female athletes to under consume protein in their

everyday diet. Its recommended that protein consist of 10-15%

of your daily intake of calories. However, for athletes they are

constantly breaking down their muscles and they need protein in

order to be able to recover, rebuild, and grow their muscles.

Its not only important for resistance training in the

offseason, but also to be able to repair and rebuild muscles in

order to optimize performance in competitions and at practice.

Protein along with the micronutrient minerals are the two

nutrients that are used for growth and repair of muscles (Fink,

Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). The chemical difference between

protein and carbohydrates/fats is that proteins contain Nitrogen

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(N). Proteins are the main structural material in the body, they

are also used to make enzymes and a variety of other immune

factors. Proteins have 4 calories per gram. Protein digestion

begins in the stomach with denaturation, HCl begins unraveling

of the chains. Proteins are then absorbed in the small

intestine, where they are taken to the liver for further

processing.

Our body does not like to use protein as a fuel because of

the Nitrogen molecule that proteins have. Deamination has to

occur, or the removal of the Nitrogen from an amino acid. The

Nitrogen has to be removed from the amino acid in order for it

to be broken down into usable energy (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon,

2013). Also the human body doesnt like to use protein as a

source of energy because it is the only nutrient that builds and

repairs muscle tissue. We would rather have the protein

rebuilding and repairing muscle tissue instead of it being used

as energy. Despite our body not liking to use protein as a

source of energy, protein usually accounts for anywhere from 10-

20% of energy during prolonged exercise (Fink, Mikesky &

Burgoon, 2013). Recommended protein intake is .8 gm/kg of body

weight for the average individual. For an average male this is

about 95 grams per day, or about 380 calories. For the average

female this is about 65 grams per day or 260 calories. Athletes

are recommended 1-1.5 gm/kg per day. Athletes who are involved
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in intermittent high intensity activities (football, soccer

basketball) have a recommended in take of 1.4-1.7 gm/kg per

day. Strength athletes need the most protein per day, they are

recommended 4-6.2 gm/kg per day. This is because resistance

exercise leads to muscle protein breakdown in the targeted areas

(Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). To maintain the muscle mass

that you have its suggested that you in take 1-2 gm/kg a day.

Whereas if you want to increase muscle mass you have to take in

between 1.5 and 2.5 gm/kg (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013).

As for proteins and endurance and anaerobic exercise,

proteins are used as energy during exercise. Protein use as a

fuel increases when carbohydrate storages are either low are

they are depleted. The use of protein during a workout is

dependent upon the intensity, duration and the availability of

other energy sources, fats and carbs (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon,

2013). Other factors could be the training status of the

individual and the body comp / muscle mass of the athlete.

Protein synthesis is decreased during exercise or a workout and

then increases during recovery or when the body is in an

anabolic state (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). Athletes should

specifically be concerned with the role of protein and how it

can increase performance and recovery because the consumption of

protein in recovery helps with muscle repair and adaptation to

training (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). Strength athletes or

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individuals who do anaerobic exercise and muscular endurance

athletes need more protein to cover the increased needs to

oxidize amino acids during exercise and to provide raw materials

for protein synthesis following the damage of muscle tissues

(Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). Protein consumption and

supplementation can give you an advantage as an athlete, as long

as you are taking it in at the right times in the right

quantities, anything in excess can be bad. The purpose of this

study was to test to see if there is a significant difference in

recovery time and performance level for subjects when consuming

a meal thats high in protein versus a meal thats high in

carbohydrates. The hypothesis for this study was that the

protein rich meal would lead to an overall higher performance

and faster recovery time in the subjects comparted to the

carbohydrate rich meal.

Methods:

The protein meal vs carbohydrate meal anaerobic exercise

test was set up with a crossover design. The study was set up

with a crossover design because this design helps to minimize

error within the study. There were 8 subjects that took part in

this study, the size of the study was restricted due to a class

size of only 25 students. The study was set up where each

subject would complete the test twice (technically 4 times) one

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day eating a meal that was high in protein, the other eating a

meal that was high in carbohydrates. The first test was

completed on a Friday and subjects were given until the next

Tuesday, 5 days, to recover. The 5 days of recovery was to give

subjects an adequate amount of time to rest so the results

werent hindered due to soreness or fatigue. Subjects completed

the tests twice in one day. The subjects were allowed to eat

whatever they wanted for breakfast, as long as they ate the same

thing the 2nd day of testing. Subjects would complete the workout

in the morning, eat their meal whether that was high protein or

carbs and then 2 hours later would complete the workout again.

The amount of food that was given to subjects was based off of

the ACSM guidelines of 2-3gm/kg of body weight. Body weights

were recorded for each of the subjects and proportions of food

were calculated out from their weight. For the protein rich

meal, subjects consumed one serving of vanilla muscle gain

protein shake (Advocare) 150 calories, baked chicken breasts,

cooked broccoli and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. For the protein

rich meal: Nick 705 calories, Brenda 660 calories, Hunter -

600 calories, Matt 705 calories, Mike 660 calories, Dan

700 calories, Abigail 500 calories, and Samantha 600

calories. Portions were different for each subject dependent

upon their body weight. The carbohydrate meal consisted of one

medium orange, pasta, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and marinara

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sauce. For the carbohydrate rich meal: Nick 750 calories,

Brenda 700 calories, Hunter 560 calories, Matt 700

calories, Mike 700 calories, Dan 700 calories, Abigail 520

calories, and Samantha 520 calories. The noodles of this meal

did provide some protein, but not a significant amount. And for

both meals the olive oil provided some fats. The carbohydrate

meal also aligned with 2-3 gm/kg of body weight.

Subjects were put through a warm up before the tests

started. The subjects jogged 300 meters at their own pass, toe

touches to the half court of a basketball court and back,

monster walks down and back, Spiderman lunges to half court and

side lunges back, A-skip down and high skip back. Then subjects

ran the length of a basketball court down and then 50% back,

then the subjects ran 75% maximum effort the length of a

basketball court down and 100% back. The subjects did 3 sets of

5 medicine ball slams, 3 sets of medicine ball throws against

the wall each side, arm circles (15 forward and 15 backwards),

20 body weight squats and finally 10 tuck jumps. The warm up

took roughly 10 minutes to complete. Two recorders were assigned

to a subject to time, count and record the results for each

subject. Subjects ran the 40 yard dash one time, then went on to

do the broad jump 3 times only recording the best jump (recorded

in meters), then went on to do the vertical jump (on the

vertimax) 3 times again recording only the best jump (recorded

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in inches), then subjects maxed out on pushups, for this there

was no time constraint as long as the subject didnt touch the

ground with their knees or chest while resting. For the pushups

you could either do a high plank and rest for a little bit or a

downward dog, and then continue doing pushups as long as you

didnt touch the ground. After the pushups subjects ran 1 timed

300 yard shuttle, 50 yards down and back 3 times, and the last

test was a step up test. The step up test was one minute long,

one leg on a box and they had to do as many step ups as possible

within the 1 minute time span.

Subjects were to give maximum effort while doing all of the

tests. The recorders were to record the 40 yard dash times to

the hundredth of a second, only the best broad jump in meters,

only the best vertical jump in inches, the number of pushups

that were done, the 300 yard shuttle to the nearest hundredth of

a second, and the number of step ups that were done. The warm up

and all of the tests were completed all 4 of the times that the

tests were done. Subjects were to stretch down on their own

after completing all of the tests. No certain set rest time was

given in between sets, just however long the subject felt

necessary.

Results:
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The results of this study were very mixed and not what was

expected to happen. Its very hard to conclude anything from

these results. One of the major findings of this study is that

proteins nor carbohydrates were consistent in increasing the

performance of subjects in this study. The 40 yard dash, 4

subjects ran faster times after eating the carbohydrate rich

meal, and 4 subjects ran faster when having the protein rich

meal. However even with the split in how many improved, the

protein average 40 time was less (5.76 seconds) than the

carbohydrate average (5.89 seconds). The supplementation was

that that it should lead to a higher performance, so its not

that big of a surprise that the average time was better, but I

wouldnt say that its significant because of the split in how

many did better vs how many did worse when eating the protein

meal. Another shocking thing was that only 2 subjects total

number of pushups increased when eating the protein rich meal.

The average number of pushups for the carbohydrates was 39.75

versus the protein meal average pushups was 34.75. Another

result that grabbed my attention was the average time for the

300 yard shuttle was almost 8.5 seconds better when eating the

protein rich meal. The average 300 yard shuttle time after the

carbohydrate meal was 68.42 seconds, while the average time for

protein was 59.96 seconds. It would have been interesting to ask

the subjects how they were feeling before and after the workout
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to see if there was any gastrointestinal discomfort that

couldve impacted the results.

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Discussion:

The results of this study were mixed and they were hard to

draw a conclusion off of. The hypothesis was that the protein

rich meal would help enhance performance in the second workout

because of the rebuilding and recovery components/advantages of

protein. When consuming and supplementing protein it can be very

effective if done in the right amounts at the right time.

Consuming a high protein meal after the workout in the morning

should give the subjects the nutrients that they need for their

muscles to recover and enhance their performance in the workout

that was in the afternoon. However, the results varied from test

to test on whether carbohydrates or protein enhanced the

performance. For instance protein improved the averages for the

40 yard dash, the broad jump, the 300 yard shuttle and the step

test. And carbohydrates improved the averages for the vertical

jump and pushups. From these results its very hard to pinpoint

which one would be better for someone in this scenario to

supplement to enhance performance. Its also difficult to say

which one is better in promoting muscle recovery in a short

amount of time from anaerobic exercise. Because of the mixture

of results that they study showed it could be said that there

might not be a statistically significant difference in the

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results that we got from this study, but protein did improve 4

of the 6 averages. Supplementation or consumption of protein

should promote growth, repair and maintenance of muscles.

Especially when consuming protein after a workout when your body

is in an anabolic state. When your body is in an anabolic state

protein synthesis is enhanced. Protein intake increases muscle

protein synthesis for recovery in both aerobic and resistance

training (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). Its important that

the muscles get protein when they are in this anabolic state in

order to promote growth and recovery.

The answer to the question when asked carbohydrate or

protein consumption in order to enhance exercise performance can

be tricky to answer. After conducting this study and finding out

what other researchers have done, I wouldnt recommended either

by themselves, but both of them together. Taking both of them

together would give you the benefits of carbohydrate

supplementation and protein supplementation. An athlete could

resupply their glycogen storages and build and repair their

muscle at the same time. Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013 said that

you should consume a carbohydrate and protein meal within the

metabolic window after a workout to optimize recovery.

Carbohydrates when consumed during recovery has a positive

effect on muscle recovery. As for protein it suggested that 20

gm of protein be consumed in a recovery meal. 20 gm is enough to

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maximize the synthetic rate in the muscle (Fink, Mikesky &

Burgoon, 2013).

Hall, et al, 2013 carried out a study that looked at the

effects of recovery on Carbohydrate + Protein supplementation

versus only carbohydrate supplementation. (I know that this

isnt exactly what we did but it was hard to find a study

similar to ours). The study was a randomized, double-blind

crossover trial. The study had 10 very experienced cyclists

complete 2 trials, one with a carbohydrate and protein beverage

and one with only a carbohydrate beverage. Subjects were put

through a 2.5 hour morning training session that was followed by

a 4 hour recovery period and then a performance time trial after

the recovery period. The subjects were given 7 days to recover

before completing the second trial. Subjects were given a

recovery drink immediately after the 2.5 hour training session,

a meal at 1 hour after and snacks at 2, 3, and 4 hours out from

the 2.5 hour training session. This study showed a potential

performance improvement when supplementing protein during a

training bout and following post exercise recommended amounts

(Hall, et al, 2013). The time trial performance was 1.8% better

when carbs were supplemented with protein, and there was a

significant reduction in heart rate, RPE and markers of muscle

damage (Hall, et al, 2013). This study shows and suggests that

CHO + PRO supplementation reduces physiological and perceptual

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strain and this can lead to faster and more thorough recovery.

This study pretty well goes along with what we found in ours. In

our study both protein and carbohydrate consumption improved

different tests, but I feel that if we would have had CHO + PRO

consumption that it would have significantly improved all of the

results.

There were definitely a few discrepancies that could have

affected the results of our study. The first one being a wide

variety of experience levels and training status. A few of the

subjects were more experienced and had a higher level of

training status than some of the other subjects. This could have

hindered the results because some of the subjects could have

been unfamiliar with what they were doing or this may have been

the first time that some of the subjects did one or more of the

exercises that were asked of them. Getting a sample group that

had a higher training status and were more familiar with the

exercises couldve helped give more accurate results. Or we

could have had a training/walk through day where all of the

subjects could ask questions and practice running through the

tests that needed to be completed so that they were comfortable

with completing all of the tests on the first day. The meals

could have affected people with different training statuses

differently. Also a lack of subjects and trials could have

hindered the results. With only 8 subjects and 2 trials it could

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be that a lack of trials gave us data that wasnt significant.

Just like anything, the more data (more people and trials) the

more accurate the results. However, its hard to increase our

subject group size because we are constricted to only 25

possible subjects because of our class size. Also with only 2

trials, subjects are set up to do better in the second trial

whether they had protein or carbohydrates that day. With the

subjects being familiar with and more comfortable with the tests

they are more likely to do better the second time around.

Another thing that couldve negatively impacted the results is

the lack of controlling outside variables. Besides eating the

same breakfast both days and the protein / carbohydrate meal

that was provided for the subject, there wasnt much else that

was controlled. Sleep habits, exercise outside of class, diet

outside of classetc all could have played a part in impacting

the results of the study. Controlling more variables would give

you more accurate results. Human error could have also played a

part in hindering the results. With the 40-yard dash its very

unlikely that you actually ran what your recorder timed you at.

A human using a stopwatch on a phone probably isnt the most

accurate thing in the world. But it was the only technology that

we had access to. The recorders also could have miscounted reps

or measured the broad jumps wrong. There also could have been

error when recorders were entering the data into the excel
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spreadsheet. Having more experienced or better trained recorders

could have helped give us more accurate results. Its hard to

compare gender differences in this study. Our results were kept

anonymous when compiled and sent out to the class. Its

reasonable to assume that because of the training level of the

females that were involved in the study that you could figure

out which one were females and which ones were males, but you

would have to assume/guess. However, I dont feel that there

would be gender differences in the study, protein promotes

recovery which should promote enhanced performance in the second

testing period. As long as individuals are the same training

status I feel that it would have the same effect on males as it

does females.

Protein supplementation and consumption should enhance

performance and recovery. Proteins most important job is muscle

repair and growth, as it is the only nutrient that can do this.

After protein is broken down, amino acids are metabolized for

energy, building and repair (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). The

consumption of protein following exercise or a workout, helps

with muscle repair and adaptation to training. A 20gm of protein

meal is recommended to maximize the synthetic rate in muscle

following exercise. This is recommended because protein intake

increases muscle protein synthesis in recovery for both

resistance and aerobic exercise (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013).

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With protein leading to muscle repair and rebuilding of muscles

thats why we saw the increase in performance in some of the

tests when consuming a protein rich meal. I feel that we saw an

increase in some of the performance levels when taking carbs

because of the restoring of glycogen storages. Because there was

only a 2 hour turn around and carbs are the fastest digesting

and protein takes the longest to digest, carbs could have been

more beneficial. Due to the quick absorption through active

transport, some subjects may have benefited through a high

carbohydrate meal. Carbohydrates consumed during recovery has a

positive effect on muscle recovery. Also because it was an

anaerobic workout, CHO were the subjects main fuel source for

this workout. Having carbs in between workouts could have been

beneficial to replenish the carb/glycogen storages. Regardless

of how much or even if one is better than the other, to optimize

recovery and performance, take both. A carbohydrate and protein

meal is recommended to be consumed within the metabolic window

in order to increase recovery (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013).

Because the energy systems that were being used in this study

wouldve been the ATP-PCr and the Glycolytic systems and they

run on carbs, carbs may have been the better choice. But also

protein wouldve allowed your muscles to repair and rebuild

themselves before the next workout. Supplementing both would

allow you to do both of these things in order to perform better.

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Directive Question:

Creatine is a supplement that Ive heard a lot of mixed

opinions on over the years. Everybody seems to have their own

opinion and some people say that its a necessity and you must

supplement creatine if you are serious about lifting and others

say that it doesnt really work. You see creatine in a lot of

pre-workouts today and now even some protein supplements for

recovery have creatine in them. A lot of people are buying

creatine in large amounts and supplementing it almost every day.

The three different energy pathways that we discussed is

the ATP-PCr, the glycolytic system and the oxidative system. The

glycolytic system does not have anything to do with creatine

supplementation. The glycolytic system is moderate in power and

used for anaerobic exercise (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). The

glycolytic system can be used for 10-120 seconds, and generates

about 2-3 ATP (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013). The oxidative

system is another way of creating energy within the body. The

oxidative system is the system with the most potential energy.

It can be utilized from 3 minutes up to a few hours. This system

is used for aerobic exercise and is also used for workout

lasting long than 60-90 minutes and when intensity level is low.

You get 39 ATP from this system. One of the drawbacks though is

that it is not powerful.

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The system that creatine plays a part in, is the ATP-PCr.

This system is by far the most powerful energy system that we

have. We get enough energy from this system to use it from 1-10

seconds. This energy system is big in intermittent sports, where

you have short bursts of high intensity and then followed by a

short break. A pro of this systems is that it is very powerful,

but its drawback is that you get worn out very easily when using

this system. The enzymes that are needed are ATPase and Creatine

Kinase (Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon, 2013).

ATP is broken down into ADP + P. The release of the bond of

the P from ATP to ADP + P is energy that can be used. The ADP

that is left gets a CrP added to it, so it becomes ADP + CrP ->

which results in ATP + Cr. The ATP is then taken and used as

energy and the whole system repeats itself.

Deminice, Jordao, 2016, looked at creatine supplementation

and how it affected anaerobic performance in rats. The animals

were put through a serious of vertical jumps while having 50% of

their total body weight attached to them. The main results of

the study showed that supplementation with Cr was able to

inhibit the increases in plasma lipid peroxidation markers MDA

and lipid hydroperoxieds that are induced by acute exercise,

basically it was shown that Cr supplementation improved repeated

jump performance in the animals that were studied (Deminice,

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Jordao, 2016). This protocol of the jump test is suitable for

studies on creatine supplementation because it involves short

duration, high intensity exercise. This exercise requires

significant contribution of the ATP-PCr system (Deminice,

Jordao, 2016). The role of creatine in energy metabolism in the

ATP-PCr system is the most widely accepted explanation for the

ergogenic activity of creatine (Deminice, Jordao, 2016).

The increase that is seen in anaerobic performance through

the supplementation of creatine is related to the ATP-PCr

system. Creatine helps in the production of ATP in the ATP-PCr

system. Increasing ATP production in the ATP-PCr system would

lead to an overall higher amount of energy available for use.

Seeing as the ATP-PCr is very important in the performance of

anaerobic exercise, it makes sense that creatine impacting the

ATP-PCr system would increase anaerobic performance.

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References

Deminice, R., & Jordao, A. A. (2016). Creatine supplementation

decreases plasma lipid peroxidation markers and enhances

anaerobic performance in rats. Redox Report, 21(1), 31-36.

doi:10.1179/1351000215Y.0000000020

Fink, Mikesky & Burgoon. (2013). Practical Application in Sports

Nutrition. 4th Edition.

Hall, A. H., Leveritt, M. D., Ahuja, K. D., & Shing, C. M.

(2013). Coingestion of carbohydrate and protein during

training reduces training stress and enhances subsequent

exercise performance. Applied Physiology, Nutrition &

Metabolism, 38(6), 597-604.

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Abstract 1: Hall et al, 2013

Researchers have focused primarily on investigating the effects

of coingesting carbohydrate (CHO) and protein (PRO) during
recovery and, as such, there is limited research investigating
the benefits of CHO+PRO coingestion during exercise for
enhancing subsequent exercise performance. The aim of this study
was to investigate whether coingestion of CHO+PRO during
endurance training would enhance recovery and subsequent
exercise performance. Ten well-trained male cyclists (aged 29.7
7.5 years; maximal oxygen uptake, 66.2 6 mLkg1min1) took
part in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial. Each trial
consisted of a 2.5-h morning training bout during which the
cyclists ingested a CHO+PRO or energy-matched CHO beverage
followed by a 4-h recovery period and a subsequent performance
time trial (total work, 7 kJkg1). Blood was collected before
and after exercise. Time-trial performance was 1.8% faster in
the CHO+PRO trial compared with the CHO trial (p = 0.149; 95%
CI, 13 to 87 s; 75.8% likelihood of benefit). The increase in
myoglobin level from before the training bout to after the
training bout was lower in the CHO+PRO trial (0.74 nmolL1; 95%
CI, 0.31.17 nmolL1) compared with the CHO trial (1.16
nmolL1; 95% CI, 0.6 1.71 nmolL1) (p = 0.018). Additionally,
the decrease in neutrophil count over the recovery period was
greater in the CHO+PRO trial (p = 0.034), and heart rate (p <
0.022) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) (p < 0.01) were
lower during training in the CHO+PRO trial compared with the CHO
trial. Ingesting PRO, in addition to CHO, during strenuous
training lowered exercise stress, as indicated by reduced heart
rate, RPE, and muscle damage, when compared with CHO alone.
CHO+PRO ingestion during training is also likely to enhance
recovery, providing a worthwhile improvement in subsequent
cycling time-trial performance.
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Abstract #2:

Objective: The study was to investigate the effects

of creatine (Cr) supplementation on oxidative stress markers and
anaerobic performance in rats. Methods: Sixty-four rats (Wistar)
were divided into two groups: C, anaerobic exercised group
(n=32) and Cr, anaerobic exercised group supplemented
with creatine (n=32). Cr supplementation consisted of the
addition of 2% Cr monohydrate to the diet. After 28 days, the
rats performed acute exercise (630 seconds of vertical jumps in
the water with 30 seconds rest and 50% of total body weight load
attached in the back). The animals were euthanized before (pre)
and at 0, 2, and 6 hours (n=8) after acute exercise. Results:
Acute exercise induced an increase in plasma malondialdehyde
(MDA) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), as well as
increased total lipid hydroperoxides and AOPP in gastrocnemius
muscle. Cr supplementation inhibited the formation of MDA and
lipid hydroperoxides in plasma. However, the antioxidant action
of Cr was observed only against AOPP in gastrocnemius muscle.
Cr supplementation also increased (P<0.05)
anaerobic performance compared to the C group. Conclusion:
Cr supplementation is able to inhibit the increase in plasma
lipid peroxidation markers induced by high-intensity and short-
duration exercise in rats; equivalent actions, however, were not
observed fully in muscle tissue