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Protein Intake and Metabolism in Sports Performance

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Proteins and Amino Acids".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 6513

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Exercise Science & Athletic Training, Adrian College, Adrian, MI, USA
Interests: product development; nutrition; exercise; sports; protein metabolism; biomechanics; sarcopenia; cold exposure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is widely acknowledged that consuming sufficient amounts of dietary protein is crucial for maintaining a healthy metabolism, supporting training adaptation, promoting recovery, and enhancing sports performance. Athletes require more protein than sedentary individuals due to the physical demands placed on their bodies. Evidence suggests that consuming optimal amounts of protein from animal or plant sources can promote muscle protein synthesis, net muscle protein accretion, muscle mass, and strength. Athletes should aim to meet their daily protein requirements via whole foods, but supplementation can be a practical way to ensure adequate protein quality and quantity.

A forthcoming Special Issue, “Protein Intake and Metabolism in Sports Performance”, will feature observational and experimental studies, full-length and short reviews, and meta-analyses. The articles within will focus on protein consumption, metabolism, and sports performance. The primary goals of the issue are to provide an overview of the current state of the art in this field, to explore the biological mechanisms that underlie skeletal muscle growth and recovery in sports, and to enhance our understanding of potential areas of protein interventions in sports.

Dr. Daniel Traylor
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • protein intake
  • nutrition
  • performance
  • resistance training
  • endurance training
  • metabolism
  • muscle protein synthesis
  • skeletal muscle
  • lean body mass
  • strength

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 642 KiB  
Article
Effects of Protein Supplementation During High-Intensity Functional Training on Physical Performance in Recreationally Trained Males and Females: A Randomized Controlled Trial
by Christina Karpouzi, Ioannis Kosmidis, Anatoli Petridou, Gabriela Voulgaridou, Sousana K. Papadopoulou, Gregory C. Bogdanis and Vassilis Mougios
Nutrients 2025, 17(9), 1441; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17091441 - 25 Apr 2025
Viewed by 654
Abstract
Background/Objectives: High-intensity functional training (HIFT) combines multijoint aerobic and resistance exercises. Despite its popularity, limited research has investigated dietary or supplementation strategies to enhance adaptations to HIFT. Hence, this study aimed to examine the effects of egg white and whey protein supplementation [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: High-intensity functional training (HIFT) combines multijoint aerobic and resistance exercises. Despite its popularity, limited research has investigated dietary or supplementation strategies to enhance adaptations to HIFT. Hence, this study aimed to examine the effects of egg white and whey protein supplementation during HIFT on physical performance in trained individuals. Methods: Thirty recreationally trained volunteers (20 males, 10 females), aged 23–55, underwent 6 weeks of HIFT (three times/week) while receiving 0.6 g/kg/day of egg white protein, whey protein, or maltodextrin (placebo) in a researcher-blinded, randomized, triple-crossover, and counterbalanced design, with 2 weeks of washout between supplements. Participants followed isoenergetic diets providing 1.0 g/kg/day of protein. Before and after each intervention, VO2max, the maximal strength (1 RM) and force–velocity relationship of shoulder press, the peak torque and strength endurance of knee extensors and flexors, and the strength endurance of core muscles were measured. The training session load was monitored during each intervention period’s first and last weeks. Data were analyzed by three-way ANOVA (supplement × time × sex), with repeated measures on supplement and time. Results: The duration, energy expenditure, training load score, and cardio load of each training session increased from the beginning to the end of each training period by 2–11% (p < 0.05). The 1 RM of shoulder press and strength endurance of core muscles increased by 3–6% (p < 0.001). Protein supplementation did not affect any of these outcomes. Conclusions: Short-term HIFT improved exercise capacity, upper-body strength, and core endurance. However, increasing protein intake from 1.0 to 1.6 g/kg/day did not further enhance performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein Intake and Metabolism in Sports Performance)
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19 pages, 2453 KiB  
Article
Isolated White Lupin Proteins Beneficially Modulate the Intestinal Microbiota Composition in Rats
by Luis A. Rubio and Giulia Chiesa
Nutrients 2025, 17(3), 551; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17030551 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 870
Abstract
Background: Previous work has shown that the mostly beneficial modulation of intestinal microbiota generally found with legume-based diets is likely to be due, at least in part, to their constituent protein components. Objectives: The faecal microbiota composition was studied in rats fed diets [...] Read more.
Background: Previous work has shown that the mostly beneficial modulation of intestinal microbiota generally found with legume-based diets is likely to be due, at least in part, to their constituent protein components. Objectives: The faecal microbiota composition was studied in rats fed diets differing only in their constituent proteins. Methods: Rats (n = 10/group) were fed for 28 days diets based in milk [(lactalbumin (LA), casein (CAS)], or white lupin (Lupinus albus) protein isolate (LPI). Results: Significant differences among the three groups in bacteria composition and functionality were found by both qPCR and Illumina sequencing analysis. Significant (p < 0.01) differences were found by ANOSIM and Discriminant Analysis among groups at the family, genus and species levels in both microbiota composition and functionality. A number of groups able to explain the differences between animal (casein, lactalbumin) and lupin proteins were revealed by LEfSe and PCA analysis. Specifically, feeding the CAS diet resulted in lower Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli compared to the other diets, and the LPI diet gave place to lower Enterobacteria than CAS, and lower Escherichia/Shigella than LA and CAS. Differences in the LA group were attributable to Bifidobacterium spp., Collinsella spp. (in particular C. stercoris), Bacteroides spp., Eubacterium spp. (in particular E. dolichum), Roseburia spp. (in particular R. faecis), and Oscillospira spp. In the case of the CAS group, the organisms were Parabacteroides spp., Blautia spp., Enterobacteriaceae spp., Turicibacter spp., species from Christenellaceae, species from Alphaproteobacteria and Mogibacteriaceae, Coprobacillus spp. and Dorea spp. In the case of the LPI group, the organisms were Lactobacillus spp. (Lactobacillus spp. and L. reuteri), species from Clostridiaceae, species from Peptostreptococcaceae, species from Erysipelotrichaceae, and Adlercreutzia spp. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained, LPI is likely to beneficially modulate the intestinal microbiota composition in rats. Additionally, LA-based diet was associated to a healthier microbiota composition than CAS, although the CAS diet also modulated the intestinal microbiota to a composition compatible with improved bowel movement frequency and lipid metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein Intake and Metabolism in Sports Performance)
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Review

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12 pages, 512 KiB  
Review
Protein Intake, Physical Performance and Body Composition in Master Athletes—A Short Scoping Review
by Bernhard Franzke, Renate Maierhofer and Peter Putz
Nutrients 2025, 17(3), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17030498 - 29 Jan 2025
Viewed by 4383
Abstract
Sufficient protein intake has been shown to be advantageous for developing muscle mass, muscle strength, muscle quality, as well as for improving recovery from strenuous exercise, all of which are essential for athletic performance. Aging athletes, so-called master athletes, would benefit from evidence-based [...] Read more.
Sufficient protein intake has been shown to be advantageous for developing muscle mass, muscle strength, muscle quality, as well as for improving recovery from strenuous exercise, all of which are essential for athletic performance. Aging athletes, so-called master athletes, would benefit from evidence-based recommendations; however, studies investigating the role of their protein intake on muscle quality or performance are diverse and rare. Consequently, existing recommendations for this subpopulation of aging athletes are non-existent or speculative in nature. The aim of this short scoping review is to summarize available reports, identify common outcomes, and suggest future research directions. Literature research was carried out in PubMedMedline, SPORTDiscuss, and ScienceDirect without any restrictions regarding year of publication, type of research or sports discipline. Only observational and interventional studies with data on protein intake linked with body composition or performance outcomes were included for further analyses. We identified 12 suitable reports on master athletes with very diverse age-ranges, a broad variety of sports, and very heterogeneous outcome parameters. Seven studies investigated endurance athletes, four studies investigated multi-sports athletes, and only one study reported on strength-trained athletes. Average protein intake ranged between 1.0 and 1.9 g/kg/d. Within the few available studies, evidence tends to point towards a benefit of higher protein intakes for muscle mass and function; however, the low number of studies, combined with heterogeneity in study design and methods, limits their generalizability. Future studies are needed to build the evidence base for clear dietary recommendations respecting the specific needs of aging athletes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Protein Intake and Metabolism in Sports Performance)
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