Micronutrients & recovery
Whey protein supplementation does not improve bone health biomarkers (formation, resorption, or turnover ratio) in male soldiers undergoing intense initial entry training compared to carbohydrate supplementation.
If you are undergoing intense military or athletic training, drinking whey protein shakes daily will not protect your bones from stress injuries any more than drinking a carbohydrate shake will. Focus on adequate total calorie intake, vitamin D exposure, and managing training load instead of relying on protein supplements for bone health.
There was no group by time interaction for supplementation and bone formation (p = 0.75), resorption (p = 0.73), Vitamin D (p = 0.36), or calcium (p = 0.64), indicating no influence of a supplementation on bone biomarkers across training.
Why this rating
Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized design with a large sample size (N=90) and rigorous statistical analysis.
Source
Markers of Bone Health and Impact of Whey Protein Supplementation in Army Initial Entry Training Soldiers: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study
JoEllen M. Sefton et al. · Nutrients · 2020
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