Randomised trial · Nutrients · 2023Conflicts declared

Pea protein and muscle damage after long walks in older adults

Spoelder M, Koopmans L, Hartman YAW, et al · Free full text

In older adults who walked 20 to 30 km, 13 days of pea protein at 25 g a day did not reduce a marker of muscle damage.

Whey protein did lower that marker 24 hours after the walk.

What they found

Studies in people

Muscle damage marker

At 24 hours after the walk, the whey group had lower creatine kinase levels than both the pea and placebo groups. The pea group's levels were similar to placebo.

Other damage marker

Lactate dehydrogenase levels rose over time but did not differ between the groups.

Muscle strength and mass

Handgrip strength, leg strength and skeletal muscle mass showed no differences between the groups.

Muscle soreness

Muscle soreness increased after exercise but was similar across all groups.

What the authors conclude

“Thirteen days of pea protein supplementation (25 g/day) does not attenuate EIMD in older adults following a single bout of prolonged walking exercise, whereas the whey protein supplementation group showed significantly lower post-exercise CK concentrations.”

Spoelder M, Koopmans L, Hartman YAW, et al, 2023

Also in their conclusions

They conclude that 13 days of pea protein supplementation at 25 g per day did not attenuate exercise-induced muscle damage in older adults compared to placebo.
They state that the whey protein group showed lower serum CK levels at 24 hours post exercise compared to pea protein and placebo groups.
They suggest that the effects of long-term plant protein supplementation on exercise-induced muscle damage and body composition should be further explored in physically active elderly.

How it was done

Many active older adults do not reach recommended protein intakes, and more people are avoiding animal-based products. The authors wanted to see if pea protein could help muscle repair after endurance exercise in this age group.

They randomly assigned 47 physically active adults aged 60 and over to whey protein, pea protein or a placebo for 13 days. Participants then completed a 20 to 30 km walk, and blood markers, muscle strength, muscle mass and soreness were measured before and up to 72 hours after.

What it can’t tell you

This trial only tested one dose of pea protein (25 g per day) for 13 days, so it cannot show what other doses or longer periods might do.
The results apply to physically active older adults who walked 20 to 30 km; they may not apply to other age groups or types of exercise.

Who paid

Funding: Funded by Newcare, Waalwijk, The Netherlands (from the PubMed record).
Conflicts: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Authors work at: Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands

The paper

Title: Supplementation with Whey Protein, but Not Pea Protein, Reduces Muscle Damage Following Long-Distance Walking in Older Adults
Type: Randomised controlled trial
Evidence: Studies in people
Summarised from: Full text
Cite: Spoelder M, Koopmans L, Hartman YAW, et al (2023). Supplementation with Whey Protein, but Not Pea Protein, Reduces Muscle Damage Following Long-Distance Walking in Older Adults. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu15020342Free full text PubMed 36678213 DOI

Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error