Protein Series Part V: Peptides

Protein Series PART V

New Form on the Horizon... Peptides

by Jose Antonio, Ph.D.

Peptides. . What does that mean?
Peptides are a simplified fast absorbing derivative from a whole protein.

In conclusion to our series on the comparison and explanation of the best protein sources, we'd like to finish with a form called peptides.

Peptides? Chances are you haven't heard the word yet.

That's because Peptides are a fairly newly used and studied form of protein. One peptide product currently being studied is called PeptoPro®.

What is PeptoPro®?

PeptoPro® is a peptide derived from milk protein. Specifically, it is derived from casein; thus, when casein is 'cut up' into smaller units, you end up with small di-peptides and tri-peptides (two and three amino acids units). The advantage is that they are more likely to be absorbed quickly and therefore assimilated into the body.

You know by now all about the importance of adding protein to your diet, but do you know about the advantages of adding it to the 'traditional' carbohydrate-electrolyte only sports drink?

Recent investigations have indeed shown that cyclists who consumed beverages enriched with a specific type of 'protein' called PeptoPro®, during time trials, had faster times and had less muscle soreness post-activity compared with those drinking traditional, carbohydrate-only sports drinks.

In a study at James Madison University, subjects completed two 60 kilometer (37.2 miles) cycling time trials. Each trial consisted of three simulated laps of a 20 km or 12.4 mile cycling loop, a 407 meter vertical climb, followed by a final 5 km climb. Throughout the trial, participants consumed 200 ml (6.8 ounces) of a sports beverage, either PeptoPro® enriched (CHO+PRO) or carbohydrate-only (CHO) every five km (3.1 miles), plus an additional 500ml (16.9 ounces) immediately after completion.

What did they find?

Post-exercise plasma creatine kinase (CK), which is a measure of muscle damage, and subjective muscle soreness ratings were not significantly different between treatments. Nevertheless, post-exercise increases in CK and muscle soreness were 61% and 93% higher, respectively, in the CHO trial than the CHO+P trial.

Take Home Message

For those of you who participate in intense, prolonged endurance exercise, consuming a sports drink is good, but not good enough. Heck, it's better than water! However, if you consume a beverage that has carbohydrate and protein, recovery is enhanced, performance is better, and soreness is diminished. PeptoPro is a special class of peptides derived from the milk protein casein that when combined with a carbohydrate-containing beverage, may indeed offer these benefits.

Additional Reading and Information
Click Here for supporting evidence.

Source: mysupplementcoarch.com