New Study: Whey and creatine increase muscle fiber growth
In yet another exciting finding revealed at the 2003 Experimental Biology Meeting, cosponsored by the American Physiological Society, researchers at Victoria University in Australia have demonstrated that a 100% whey isolate formula and the popular athletic supplement creatine produce an increase in muscle fiber growth greater that correlated with greater strength gains.
The same researchers had conducted earlier experiments that revealed an increase in muscle force and mitochondrial energy production in rats and improve muscle mass and strength in bodybuilders when either supplement was consumed.
In the current double-blind study, the researchers, led by Professor Mick Carey and Dr Alan Hayes from Victoria University’s Centre for Rehabilitation,
Exercise and Sport Science, supplemented thirty-three male bodybuilders with 1.5 grams per kilogram body weight with the following daily regimens:
-creatine plus carbohydrate,
-whey isolate,
-creatine and whey,
-or carbohydrate alone.
The investigators took biopsies of the muscle fibers of the subjects before and following an eleven week period of thrice weekly resistance training, and found an increase in the cross sectional area of fast-twitch muscle fibers in men who consumed creatine and/or whey compared to the men who received the supplement consisting of carbohydrate.
Fast twitch muscle fibers are those that grow in response to weight training and are responsible for maximal force production.
Subjects who received both whey and creatine experienced a greater increase in fast twitch muscle fiber size than those who received whey alone. Additionally, a significant correlation between strength gains and increase in muscle type fiber was observed in the participants.
While all groups gained in strength and lean mass after eleven weeks, the groups receiving creatine and/or whey experienced a greater increase than the carbohydrate only group.
Whey is a protein that naturally occurs in cow’s milk. In addition to aiding bodybuilders and other athletes, whey may prove to be helpful to older individuals or others who experience muscle wasting conditions.
Posted by: Mike Demeter
In yet another exciting finding revealed at the 2003 Experimental Biology Meeting, cosponsored by the American Physiological Society, researchers at Victoria University in Australia have demonstrated that a 100% whey isolate formula and the popular athletic supplement creatine produce an increase in muscle fiber growth greater that correlated with greater strength gains.
The same researchers had conducted earlier experiments that revealed an increase in muscle force and mitochondrial energy production in rats and improve muscle mass and strength in bodybuilders when either supplement was consumed.
In the current double-blind study, the researchers, led by Professor Mick Carey and Dr Alan Hayes from Victoria University’s Centre for Rehabilitation,
Exercise and Sport Science, supplemented thirty-three male bodybuilders with 1.5 grams per kilogram body weight with the following daily regimens:
-creatine plus carbohydrate,
-whey isolate,
-creatine and whey,
-or carbohydrate alone.
The investigators took biopsies of the muscle fibers of the subjects before and following an eleven week period of thrice weekly resistance training, and found an increase in the cross sectional area of fast-twitch muscle fibers in men who consumed creatine and/or whey compared to the men who received the supplement consisting of carbohydrate.
Fast twitch muscle fibers are those that grow in response to weight training and are responsible for maximal force production.
Subjects who received both whey and creatine experienced a greater increase in fast twitch muscle fiber size than those who received whey alone. Additionally, a significant correlation between strength gains and increase in muscle type fiber was observed in the participants.
While all groups gained in strength and lean mass after eleven weeks, the groups receiving creatine and/or whey experienced a greater increase than the carbohydrate only group.
Whey is a protein that naturally occurs in cow’s milk. In addition to aiding bodybuilders and other athletes, whey may prove to be helpful to older individuals or others who experience muscle wasting conditions.
Posted by: Mike Demeter
