Researchers trying to prove nutritional supplements actually work
Lawrence - You hear it all the time, athletes going to the store to get muscle milk and protein shakes, but do nutritional supplements actually work? One KU researcher is working to find out. Trent Herda is conducting a study to see if whey protein and leucine enhance muscle growth. Experts say taking nutritional supplements to enhance this growth has been the rage for the past few years, but Herda says there’s no proof that they’re actually working.
Herda and his team are conducting a study where they have healthy, college-aged males take part in 45 minutes of resistance training. Some of the subjects are given whey protein and leucine, while the rest are given a placebo.
If the study shows these two supplements do in fact work, they’ll move on to older individuals. Herda says with the help of these products it could enable older adults to perform simple tasks more efficiently. For example, getting in and out of a car and getting groceries that they have difficulty with because of lost muscle mass.
The study will be completed this August. It’s being sponsored by GNC. Officials say if they find the supplements do enhance muscle growth, you could soon be seeing a new product that contains both whey protein and leucine in stores sometime in the near future.