Supplementation with milk protein promotes similar changes in strength and muscle mass as isocaloric supplementation of native whey during strength training in elderly subjects: an 11 week double blinded randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Milk protein and especially the whey fraction of milk protein have gained a lot of interest due to its effective stimulation of postprandial muscle protein synthesis. Whey protein can be isolated from pasteurized milk by a multi-filtration technique providing concentrated native whey protein which contains a higher leucine content than the traditional concentrate derived from cheese production. Leucine seems to be a key stimulator of muscle protein synthesis, and is suggested to be even more so in elderly. This is because the optimal protein dosage needed for stimulation of muscle protein synthesis, may be lowered with a higher leucine content. Aim: In this study we investigated whether daily supplementation of native whey protein could lead to larger muscle hypertrophy during 11 weeks of heavy load strength training than an isocaloric supplementation of milk protein in elderly subjects.