Ingesting carbohydrate plus protein following prolonged exercise may restore exercise capacity more effectively than ingestion of carbohydrate alone. The objective of the present study was to determine whether this potential benefit is a consequence of the protein fraction per se or simply due to the additional energy it provides. Six active males participated in three trials, each involving a 90-min treadmill run at 70% maximal oxygen uptake (run 1) followed by a 4-h recovery. At 30-min intervals during recovery, participants ingested solutions containing: (1) 0.8 g carbohydrate x kg body mass (BM)(-1) h(-1) plus 0.3 g kg(-1) h(-1) of whey protein isolate (CHO-PRO); (2) 0.8 g carbohydrate x kg BM(-1) h(-1) (CHO); or (3) 1.1 g carbohydrate x kg BM(-1) h(-1) (CHO-CHO). The latter two solutions matched the CHO-PRO solution for carbohydrate and for energy, respectively. Following recovery, participants ran to exhaustion at 70% maximal oxygen uptake (run 2). Exercise capacity during run 2 was greater following ingestion of CHO-PRO and CHO-CHO than following ingestion of CHO (P< or = 0.05) with no significant difference between the CHO-PRO and CHO-CHO treatments. In conclusion, increasing the energy content of these recovery solutions extended run time to exhaustion, irrespective of whether the additional energy originated from sucrose or whey protein isolate.

The demonstrated improvements in brain and muscle MRS measurements at 7T will increase the potential for use in investigating human metabolism and changes due to pathologies.

Naturally acquired immunoglobulin responses to S. aureus are heterogeneous in populations and their concentrations alter during adulthood. Elevated IgG1 or IgG3 titres against S. aureus enhance S. aureus recognition by phagocytosis and may be correlates of natural protection and/or vaccine efficacy in adult populations.

Royal Navy (RN) submariners routinely undergo periods of up to 3 months in an enclosed environment completely devoid of natural sunlight. They may therefore be at risk of low or deficient levels of circulating vitamin D, and thus could benefit from supplementation. Information on the effects of prolonged submergence on vitamin D status and supplementation is limited. Furthermore comparison with existing literature is confounded by methodological differences.(1,2) This study investigated serum 25(OH)D concentration (as a marker of vitamin D status) in deployed and non-deployed RN submariners.Two cohorts of male submariners deploying in winter (WIN; n = 32) and summer (SUMM; n = 64) for 12 weeks, and one cohort of male submariners who remained alongside for a similar duration (HOME; n = 34) volunteered for the study. Daily vitamin D supplements (2400 IU; ≡ 60 mg) were available via prescription for deployed cohorts only. Blood samples were drawn pre and post deployment and measurements of serum 25(OH)D were performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. The study was approved by the Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee and volunteers provided informed consent. Differences in serum 25(OH)D concentration were assessed by three-way mixed ANOVA (season, supplement use and time) and one-way ANOVA (predeployment concentration between groups).Pre deployment serum 25 (OH)D concentration was lower for WIN compared to SUMM (38 ± 16 vs. 53 ± 20 nmol.l −1 , P < 0·001). It was higher at post deployment in volunteers who had supplemented with vitamin D compared with those who had not (mean difference of 47 ± 4 nmol.l −1 , P < 0·001) (Fig. 1).This study reports decreases in serum 25(OH)D in both deployed and non-deployed RN submariners without vitamin D supplementation, irrespective of season but notably below 25 nmol.l −1 in winter. Taking supplements is effective in preventing this decrease, but more research is required to determine the most practical and effective dose for this population given the likelihood of repeated deployment throughout the year.

Royal Navy (RN) submarines present a unique occupational setting that exposes individuals to confined space, a lack of natural light, disruptive working patterns, and limited opportunities for physical exercise. Restricted storage space and prolonged submersion also limits access to a variety of fresh food, which imposes a challenge to achieving an adequate total energy intake, and a nutritionally balanced intake to maintain health. Information on the dietary habits of operationally deployed submariners is limited, therefore this study aimed to monitor the dietary intake of RN submariners whilst deployed.Two cohorts of male submariners on separate operational deployments (SUB1: n = 36; SUB2: n = 60) completed a 4-day food diary early in the deployment (DIET 1) and within 2 weeks prior to the end of deployment (DIET 2). The deployment period at sea was 3 months, during which food provision was not replenished. Dietary intake data were analysed using a dietary assessment software package (DietPlan 6). The study was approved by the Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee (Ref: 0903/228) and volunteers provided informed consent. Data were tested for normality (Shapiro-Wilk test) before differences between early and late stage intakes were assessed using a paired sample t-test.There were no significant differences in the mean intakes of total energy and macronutrients across the deployment for either submarine cohort (Table 1).In conclusion, dietary intake of RN submariners was not different during the early and late stages of a 3-month submarine deployment. Whilst total energy intake was maintained, despite potential limitations from a provision perspective, it was lower than public health guidelines.1 Nevertheless, data are consistent with some 2 but not all 3 previously reported literature in submariner cohorts. Importantly, the energy requirement of the submariner occupational role has not been defined, therefore future work is required to determine energy expenditure to better inform dietary provision.