Research
Macro partitioning
Post-exercise co-ingestion of protein with carbohydrates (1.2 g/kg/day carbohydrate) accelerates protein synthesis and recovery more effectively than carbohydrates alone.
After a game or hard practice, eat a meal or snack containing both protein and carbohydrates as soon as possible. The paper suggests a carbohydrate target of 1.2 g/kg paired with protein. This combination speeds up muscle repair better than carbs alone.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Ideally, co-ingestion of protein with 1.2 g · kg−1 · day−1 carbohydrate as soon as possible after the match has been shown to accelerate protein synthesis (Howarth, Moreau, Phillips, & Gibala, 2009), and so foods and/or supplements containing both macronutrients benefit recovery.
Why this rating
Cites specific research (Howarth et al., 2009) demonstrating accelerated protein synthesis.
Source
Sport-specific nutrition: Practical strategies for team sports
Francis E. Holway et al. · Journal of Sports Sciences · 2011
DOI 10.1080/02640414.2011.605459
narrative_reviewCited 185×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Hydration status in team sport athletes should be monitored using urine specific gravity (USG) and body mass changes, as many athletes compete in a hypohydrated state.Good
- Team sport athletes typically consume carbohydrate intakes (4.0–5.6 g/kg/day) that are below expert recommendations (6–10 g/kg/day), necessitating strategic increases on match days and during pre-season to maintain glycogen.Moderate
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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