The Effect of Pea and Whey Protein Isolate Supplementation on Muscle Injury Following a Session of Intense Functional Activity

Background and Objectives Supplementation with amino acids for muscle recovery can be effective on oxidative stress and muscle damage. This study aims to compare the effects of pea protein and whey protein supplements on muscle damage, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and functional performance after high-intensity functional training (HIFT) bout in untrained overweight young men. Subjects and Methods In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 30 untrained overweight young men were selected by a purposive sampling method and divided randomly into three different groups of pea protein (n=10), Whey Protein (n=10), and placebo (n=10). Variables related to muscle damage and DOMS were measured 24 hours after HIFT. Repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test were used to compare the differences between groups. Results There was a significant difference between the two evaluation stages. There was a significant difference between the Whey protein and pea protein groups compared to the placebo group (P<0.05), but no significant difference was found between the Whey protein and pea protein groups (P<0.05). Conclusion The use of Whey protein, compared to pea protein, can reduce muscle damage and DOMS following HIFT