Diel, P., Le Viet, D., Huss, J., & Geisler, S. (2016). Effects of a nutritive administration of carbohydrates and protein by food on skeletal muscle inflammation and damage after acute endurance exercise. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 48(5), Supplement abstract number 236.

This study investigated the effects of a co-ingestion of carbohydrate and protein as food in amateur sportsmen (M = 16). Ss performed a 10-km run at 80% of individual ANS. Immediately after exercise Ss ingested nothing (control), carbohydrates as white bread, or a combination of carbohydrates and protein by eating white bread and a sour-milk cheese. Blood samples were taken at different time points. Serum glucose, serum insulin, serum creatine kinase and the serum levels of IL6, IL 10, MIF, and TNF-alpha were determined.

Blood glucose increased as a result of the endurance exercise. Blood glucose levels decreased rapidly after exercise, the most being in the bread/cheese group. Food uptake resulted in a strong increase of serum insulin similarly in the bread and bread/cheese groups. Creatine kinase serum levels as a marker of skeletal muscle damage strongly increased 24 hours after exercise in the control and bread group but not in the bread/cheese group. Exercise resulted in an increase of serum IL6. MIF was reduced in the bread/cheese group after exercise. Serum IL10 was increased by bread/ cheese ingestion. TNF-alpha serum concentration was decreased by exercise which was inflated by bread/cheese ingestion.

Implication. The uptake of a combination of protein and carbohydrate as food immediately after endurance exercise affected physiological responses such as blood glucose levels and serum creatine kinase, a marker of skeletal muscle damage. The nutritive carbohydrate/protein uptake seemed to influence the inflammatory response of the skeletal muscles indicated by reduced concentrations of pro-inflammatory markers and increased anti-inflammatory markers.

Return to Table of Contents for this issue.