The Influence of 8-Weeks of Whey Protein and Leucine Supplementation on Physical and Cognitive Performance

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the ability of 8-weeks of whey protein and leucine supplementation to enhance physical and cognitive performance and body composition. It was further designed to examine the impact of such supplementation on circulating levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Thirty moderately fit subjects completed a modified Air Force fitness test, a PC-based cognition test, and a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan for body composition before and after supplementing their daily diet with either whey protein and leucine or a caloric-equivalent placebo (P). The WPL group showed greater increases in strength then the P group over the 8 weeks on bench press and push-ups. Bench press performance increased significantly by 3.9% from week 1 to week 8 in the WPL group, whereas the increase in the P group (1.4%) was not significant. Push-up performance increased significantly by 5.4 push-ups (12.8%) for WPL while P showed a non-significant increase of 3.3 pushups (7.6%). Total mass, fat-free mass, and lean body mass all increased significantly (by 1.0 kg, 0.7 kg and 0.7kg, respectively) in the WPL group but showed no change in the placebo group. No differences were observed within or between groups for crunches, chin-ups, 3-mile run time, or cognition. We were unable to assay mTOR levels of our subjects accurately enough to make firm determinations regarding the influence of whey and leucine on them. We conclude that supplementing with whey protein and leucine may provide an advantage to airmen whose job performance benefits from increased upper body strength and/or lean body mass.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA498244

Entities

People

  • Andrea Pinchak
  • Breck Lebegue
  • Erica Anderson
  • Jessica L Smith
  • Joseph Fischer
  • Monica Herrera
  • Thomas B. Walker

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Amino Acids
  • Body Composition
  • Cognition
  • Data Analysis
  • Data Science
  • Digital Information
  • Government Procurement
  • Governments
  • Information Science
  • Medical Screening
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Research
  • Training
  • X Rays

Readers

  • Exercise and Sports Science.