Carbohydrates Alone or Mixing With Beef or Whey Protein Promote Similar Training Outcomes in Resistance Training Males: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Beef powder is a new high-quality protein source scarcely researched relative to exercise performance. The present study examined the impact of ingesting hydrolyzed beef protein, whey protein, and carbohydrate on strength performance (1RM), body composition (via plethysmography), limb circumferences and muscular thickness (via ultrasonography), following an 8-week resistance-training program. After being randomly assigned to one of the following groups: Beef, Whey, or Carbohydrate, twenty four recreationally physically active males (n=8 per treatment) ingested 20 g of supplement, mixed with orange juice, once a day (immediately after workout or before breakfast). Post intervention changes were examined as percent change and 95% CIs. Beef (2.0%, CI, 0.2-2.38%) and Whey (1.4%, CI, 0.2-2.6%) but not Carbohydrate (0.0%, CI, -1.2-1.2%) increased fat-free mass. All groups increased vastus medialis thickness: Beef (11.1%, CI, 6.3-15.9%), Whey (12.1%, CI, 4.0, -20.2%), Carbohydrate (6.3%, CI, 1.9-10.6%). Beef (11.2%, CI, 5.9-16.5%) and Carbohydrate (4.5%, CI, 1.6-7.4%), but not Whey (1.1%, CI, -1.7-4.0%), increased biceps brachialis thickness, while only Beef increased arm (4.8%, CI, 2.3-7.3%) and thigh (11.2%, 95%CI 0.4-5.9%) circumferences. Although the three groups significantly improved 1RM Squat (Beef 21.6%, CI 5.5-37.7%; Whey 14.6%, CI, 5.9-23.3%; Carbohydrate 19.6%, CI, 2.2-37.1%), for the 1RM bench press the improvements were significant for Beef (15.8% CI 7.0-24.7%) and Whey (5.8%, CI, 1.7-9.8%) but not for carbohydrate (11.4%, -0.9-23.6%). Protein-carbohydrate supplementation supports fat-free mass accretion and lower body hypertrophy.Hydrolyzed beef promotes upper body hypertrophy along with similar performance outcomes as observed when supplementing with whey isolate or maltodextrin.

Effect of a Protein Supplement on the Gut Microbiota of Endurance Athletes: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Study

“…Supplementation with powder-hydrolyzed beef protein in resistance-training males can significantly increase the biceps brachialis thickness and arm circumference compared with carbohydrate or whey protein supplementation [ 17 ]. In addition, a decline in fat mass and an increase in fat-free mass can be observed after eight weeks of supplementation with 135 g of lean beef in healthy subjects participating in a resistance-training program [ 18 ].…”

Does Beef Protein Supplementation Improve Body Composition and Exercise Performance? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…From the retrieved articles, seven (including 270 participants in total) [17,18,19,20,21,22,26] met all inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review (Figure 1, Table 1).…”

“…Five studies [18,19,20,21,26] analyzed young male and female active/trained subjects whose age ranged between ~18 and 30 years, one [22] analyzed master male athletes (35 to 60 years), and another one [17] assessed women aged 60 to 90 years.…”

“…The duration of the interventions ranged from 8 to 16 weeks. BP was supplied as isolated BP (powder form) in four studies [18,19,21,22] or as a lean beef supplement in a remainder of studies [17,20,26]. The amount of protein was specified in all but one study [20], and ranged from 16.4 to 46 g/day.…”

“…However, the evidence on the effectiveness of BP supplementation for increasing muscle mass or performance is mixed, with some studies reporting benefits compared to no protein supplementation [17,18] but others finding no such benefits [19,20]. Moreover, the effectiveness of BP for improving body composition or performance compared to WP remains unclear [18,19,21,22].…”