The research conducted in collaboration between Aarhus University and Arla Foods Ingredients tested the company's whey protein hydrolysate, Lacprodan HYDRO.365, on elite runners. It involved 18 top-class orienteering runners from Team Denmark, taking part in a week-long training camp.
The athletes were divided into two groups. One group consumed traditional sports drinks containing carbohydrates and electrolytes before and after each of 13 training sessions, while the other group consumed pure whey protein hydrolysate before and a sports drink with HYDRO.365 after each training.
"Ingestion of whey protein hydrolysate before and after each exercise session improves performance and reduces markers of muscle damage during a strenuous 1-week training camp," said the researchers.
Lindsey Ormond, business development manager of health and performance nutrition at Arla told NutraIngredients:
“The athletes who used HYDRO 365 versus placebo which was just a normal sports drink had a significant improvement in their performance. It was a 17-second improvement over a 4 km run test.
“The ones who were having just a normal sports drink had no improvement whatsoever. It was a massive difference particularly on elite level,” she added.
Targeting endurance athletes
While more and more companies look at providing sports nutrition for more mainstream consumers, Arla hopes to target endurance athletes with its product. The company has announced a professional triathlete, Allan Steen Olesen, as its brand ambassador.
"Recovery is everything when you train hard every day. My recovery times have been reduced dramatically, giving me a clear head start. I've experienced the benefits, which has made it easy to become an ambassador for HYDRO.365," said Olesen.
Source:
International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism
Published online ahead of print DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2014-0083
Effect of Whey Protein Hydrolysate on Performance and Recovery of Top-Class Orienteering Runners
Authors: M.Hansen et al.