Pea Protein Proves Effective Alternative to Whey for Muscle Strength and Size

by | Apr 15, 2016 | 2015, Amino Acids, Proteins

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In research with 161 young males given whey protein or pea protein, those in the pea protein group had 4.6% greater increase in muscle thickness than the whey protein group and 11.6% increase over the control group.

When it comes to the role of nutrition in stimulating muscle growth, a crucial component in food is essential amino acids (1), of which leucine is perhaps the most important (2) and is found in high amounts in whey protein (3). In addition, whey protein is digested very quickly, making whey the most recommended protein for immediate consumption after training to stimulate muscle growth (4, 5).

Now a new study (6) suggests that pea protein may be a viable replacement to whey protein for those with dairy intolerance or who are looking to limit dairy intake. The study involved 161 males aged 18 to 35 engaged in moderate physical activities (2–6 hours per week) and with none of their physical activity aimed at increasing muscle strength and mass in the six preceding months. They underwent a 12-week weight training program, done 3 days per week. Each participant was given either 50 grams per day of pea protein isolate (given as 2 25-gram servings = 53 subjects), 50 grams per day of whey protein concentrate (2 25-gram servings = 54 subjects), or a placebo (54 subjects). Before and after study, muscle testing of the biceps muscle was performed and muscle thickness of the biceps was done using ultrasound.

After 12 weeks, those in the pea protein group experienced a 20.2% increase in muscle thickness compared to 15.6% in the whey protein group and 8.6% in the placebo group (p < 0.05). Regarding strength increases, those in the pea protein group experienced a 17% increase in strength (62.7 to 73.4 Newton-meters) compared to a 17.6% increase in the whey protein group (61.8 to 72.7 N-m) and a 13.75% increase in the placebo group (64.0 to 72.8 N-m) (p < 0.05).

For the researchers, “The comparable [muscle strength and size] results with those obtained for whey intake make pea protein an alternative to whey-based dietary products for athletes from different levels and sports.”

Source: Babault, Nicolas, et al. “Pea proteins oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training: a double-blind, randomized, Placebo-controlled clinical trial vs. Whey protein.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 12.1 (2015): 3.

© 2015 Babault et al.; licensee Biomed Central. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

Click here to read the full text study.

Posted February 9, 2015.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. Tipton KD, Gurkin BE, Matin S, Wolfe RR. Nonessential amino acids are not necessary to stimulate net muscle protein synthesis in healthy volunteers. J Nutr Biochem. 1999;10:89–95
  2. Burd NA, Tang JE, Moore DR, Phillips SM. Exercise training and protein metabolism: Influences of contraction, protein intake, and sex-based differences. J Appl Physiol 2009;106:1692–701
  3. Boirie Y, Dangin M, Gachon P, Vasson MP, Maubois JL, Beaufrere B. Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997;94:14930–5
  4. Cermak NM, Res PT, de Groot LC, Saris WH, van Loon LJ. Protein supplementation augments the adaptive response of skeletal muscle to resistance-type exercise training: a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012;96:1454–64
  5. Babault N, Deley G, Le Ruyet P, Morgan F, Allaert FA. Effects of soluble milk protein or casein supplementation on muscle fatigue following resistance training program: a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11:36
  6. Babault N. Pea proteins oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training: a double-blind, randomized, Placebo-controlled clinical trial vs. Whey protein. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Jan 21;12(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s12970-014-0064-5. eCollection 2015