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Chronobiology of Exercise and Nutrient Adaptations

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Sports Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 December 2025 | Viewed by 4050

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Guest Editor
Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
Interests: mitochondria; oxidative stress; exercise physiology; skeletal muscle
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since the 2017 Nobel Prize was awarded to Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young for their discoveries of the molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm, chronobiology research has grown significantly. One important related topic is the chronobiology of exercise training and nutrient adaptations. With this Special Issue, we aim to fine-tune the acute responses that lead to nutrient and/or exercise timing adaptations. In the era of precision medicine, this will help to maximize the prescription of these interventions to prevent and/or treat several metabolic diseases such as sarcopenia, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, as well as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. However, this is not only related to health sciences, as athletes must also maximize their performance to reach their highest level. Therefore, with this Issue, we aim to advance the field of chronobiology of exercise and nutrition, with a special focus on metabolic health and exercise performance.

Dr. Rafael A. Casuso
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • exercise timing
  • nutrient timing
  • strength
  • endurance
  • health
  • metabolic disease

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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12 pages, 1767 KiB  
Systematic Review
Does Protein Ingestion Timing Affect Exercise-Induced Adaptations? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
by Rafael A. Casuso and Lennert Goossens
Nutrients 2025, 17(13), 2070; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17132070 - 21 Jun 2025
Viewed by 3810
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Muscle strength and mass are key determinants of exercise performance and a hallmark of health span. Recently, several meta-analyses have concluded that protein supplementation timing does not alter muscle strength and mass gains. However, these meta-analyses did not directly compare several supplementation [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Muscle strength and mass are key determinants of exercise performance and a hallmark of health span. Recently, several meta-analyses have concluded that protein supplementation timing does not alter muscle strength and mass gains. However, these meta-analyses did not directly compare several supplementation timings within the same study, thus limiting their conclusions. The objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis including only studies directly comparing protein intake before and after exercise. Methods: Three databases (PubMed (n = 748), Web of Science (n = 1458), and Scopus (n = 1105)) and reference lists were searched from inception to January 15, 2024 to identify studies where subjects were randomized to consume protein before or after each training session for at least 4 weeks. Risk of bias was evaluated using the critical appraisal checklist for RCT. A meta-analysis was performed using random-effect models. The outcomes were strength and lean body mass. Results: Of 3311 records identified, 6 reports (5 studies) were eligible and all were considered of sufficient quality to be included in the meta-analysis. For the chest press exercise, there was no effect of protein timing on repeated maximum (RM) (SMD: 0.07; 95% CI: −0.248 to 0.395; I2 = 0%, p = 0.653). For the leg press exercise, consuming protein before training increased the RM more than after training (SMD: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.005 to 1.388; I2 = 31%, p = 0.048). However, subgroup analysis did not reveal a significant effect difference (p = 0.07) for leg press and chest press. Lean body mass was not differently modulated by protein supplementation timing (SMD: −0.08; 95% CI: −0.398 to 0.244; I2 = 0%, p = 0.641). Conclusions: Protein timing does not importantly modify exercise-induced changes in lean body mass. While upper and lower limbs strength may respond differently, more investigation is needed to reach a more robust conclusion. The present review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023464503). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chronobiology of Exercise and Nutrient Adaptations)
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