Table 3.
Summary Table of Studies Examining Exercise Recovery Outcomes Using Plant Protein Sources.
| Author (Year) | Participants (Age) | Design | Study Duration | Dosing Protocol (Timing) | Exercise Program | Primary Variables | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nieman et al. [64] | 92 healthy, untrained males(18–55 years) | RCT (3 groups) Control (n = 30) Whey (n = 31) Pea (n = 31) |
5 days | 0.3 g/kg/d pea or whey/day (Pre-workout) |
90 min eccentric exercise bout | Strength Vertical jump Anaerobic power Muscle soreness |
↔ 1 RM strength ↔ Vertical jump ↔ Wingate power ↑ Muscle soreness |
| Saracino et al. [65] | 27 active, middle-aged males(40–64 years) | RCT (4 groups) Control (n = 6) WPH (n = 9) WPI (n = 6) Rice/pea (n = 6) |
3 days | 40 g rice/Pea blend/day (pre-sleep) |
Lower body muscle-sdamaging exercise | MVC Muscle soreness Thigh circumference |
↓ MVC ↔ Muscle soreness ↔ Thigh circumference |
| Kritikos et al. [62] | 10 well-trained soccer players (n = 10) | RCT, crossover | 3 days | 1.5 g/kg/day whey or soy | Field-based speed training sessions | Performance Isokinetic strength MVC Lower body power Muscle damage Creatine kinase Muscle soreness |
↓ Isokinetic leg strength ↓ MVC ↓ Speed ↓CMJ ↑ CK ↑ DOMS |
| Xia et al. [63] | 16 healthy, non-active males (19.7 ± 1.1 years) |
RCT (2 groups) Control (n = 8) Oat (n = 8) |
19 days | 25 g oat/day (post-workout) | Downhill running | Muscle soreness IL-6 Creatine kinase Leg strength Vertical jump |
↓ Muscle soreness ↓ IL-6 ↓ CK ↑ 1 RM strength ↑ Vertical jump |
↔ = No difference (p > 0.05) change; ↑ = Greater increase (p < 0.05) over control or other condition/intervention. ↓ = Lesser or decrease (p < 0.05) over control or other condition/intervention. WPC = whey protein concentrate; WPH = whey protein hydrolysate; WPI = whey protein isolate; MILK = milk protein; DOMS = delayed onset muscle soreness; CK = creatine kinase; IL-6 = interleukin-6; MVC = maximal voluntary contraction; 1 RM = one repetition maximum.