Protein Before Bedtime Boosts Muscle Mass and

Strength Gains: Dsm Study

Posted on: 05/8/2015 | 8:27 2 Posted in Nutrition, Research
Protein-before-bedtime-boosts-muscle-mass-and-strength-gains-DSMStudy_strict_xxl
By Stephen Daniells Nutra Ingredients USA
Consuming protein before sleep may increase muscle mass and strength gains in
response to resistance exercise, says a new study from The Netherlands.
Data from 44 young men indicated that consuming protein supplements (casein
hydrolysate: Peptopro, DSM) before sleep after resistance training increased skeletal
muscle strength, compared with placebo. Specifically, leg extension and leg press
strength increased by 23% and 25%, respectively, reported scientists from
Maastricht University, the Dutch Olympic Committee, and the DSM Biotechnology
Center.
[P]rotein ingestion before sleep represents an effective dietary strategy to
augment skeletal muscle mass and strength gains during prolonged resistance-type
exercise training in healthy, young men, wrote the researchers in the Journal of
Nutrition .
The study was funded by DSM Food Specialties (Delft, The Netherlands) and the
Dutch Olympic Committee.
Protein
According to background information in the Journal of Nutrition paper, it is already
known that ingesting protein before sleep can increase muscle growth rates, but it
still remained to demonstrate if protein before sleep can enhance the muscle
adaptive response to resistance-type exercise training.
To answer this question, the Dutch researchers recruited 44 young men with an
average age of 22 and randomly assigned them to two groups: One group received
27.5 grams of protein every night before sleep during a 12 week resistance training
program, while the other groups received placebo and the same exercise program.
Results showed that both groups showed increases in muscle strength, but the
gains were significantly greater in the protein-supplemented group, compared to
the placebo group.
In addition, the area of the thigh muscles increased in both groups over time, with
the greater increases in the protein group. (8.4 cm2 versus 4.8 cm2).
The supplement was on average taken 3.9 h after cessation of exercise, allowing
net muscle protein accretion during overnight sleep, wrote the researchers. This
nutritional strategy was feasible and well tolerated by the participants.

The protein supplementation effectively increased gains in muscle mass and

strength despite the fact that participants in both the protein and the placebo
groups already received a protein snack after each training session and consumed a
relative high-protein diet
Consequently, it is quite remarkable that dietary protein supplementation before
sleep further increased the gains in muscle mass and strength during prolonged
resistance-type exercise training in these young, healthy adults.
In the present study, ingestion of the protein supplement before sleep was not
compared with other time points of ingestion. As such, we can only speculate on the
surplus benefit(s) of the protein supplement being provided before sleep as opposed
to other time points throughout the day.
Source: Journal of Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.3945/jn.114.208371
Protein Ingestion before Sleep Increases Muscle Mass and Strength Gains during
Prolonged Resistance-Type Exercise Training in Healthy Young Men
Authors: T. Snijders, P.T. Res, J.S.J. Smeets, S. van Vliet, et al.