Research summary · Nutrition and energy
Carbohydrate with or without protein during soccer-style exercise
A small crossover trial compares water, cyclic-dextrin carbohydrate and an isocaloric carbohydrate–whey mixture during a soccer-style laboratory exercise protocol.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Randomized single-blind crossover trial
- Journal
- Nutrients
- Population / context
- Male soccer players · Laboratory intermittent running
What the publication reports
Nine men completed all three conditions. The carbohydrate–protein mixture improved fatigue-limited running time and distance relative to water, but did not outperform carbohydrate alone. Carbohydrate alone increased late-exercise carbohydrate oxidation without a statistically clear endurance benefit over water.
Limits and interpretation
The analysed sample was extremely small and male-only, blinding was single, and the protocol was not a match. Period and carryover effects were not formally tested. The findings do not establish an added performance benefit from protein over carbohydrate alone.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Effects of Highly Branched Cyclic Dextrin-Based Carbohydrate and Protein Co-Ingestion on Endurance Capacity and Metabolic Response in Soccer Players: A Randomized Crossover Trial
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42739027DOI: 10.3390/nu18172855Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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