The Effect of Whey Protein Supplementation on Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

Objective: This study aimed to determine the exercise-induced muscle damage responses to whey protein supplementation in soccer players. Methods: Total 22 male soccer's participated in this study. Subjects were divided into 2 groups as experiment group (n=11) and placebo group (n=11). Blood samples were taken from the athletes' basal, post-exercise (PE), 2 hours after supplement ingestion (PS). Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) and total protein values were analyzed. Results: A statistically significant difference was found when PE total protein was compared to basal and PS in the experiment (whey) and placebo group (p<0.05). Basal serum LDH level was significantly lower than PE and PS values in the whey group (p<0.05). Conclusions: It was observed that whey protein consumed after exercise did not have any positive effect on athletes' muscle damage values which are directly affecting the recovery such as total protein, ALT, AST, LDH, and CK.