protocolSection identificationModule nctId: NCT06367413, orgStudyIdInfo id: UTH-PRoNAC Study, briefTitle: Effects of Protein and NAC Co-ingestion on Skeletal Muscle Recovery, acronym: PRoNAC, statusModule overallStatus: RECRUITING, startDateStruct date: 2024-04-08, primaryCompletionDateStruct date: 2024-06-20, completionDateStruct date: 2024-09-30, studyFirstPostDateStruct date: 2024-04-16, lastUpdatePostDateStruct date: 2024-04-16, sponsorCollaboratorsModule leadSponsor name: University of Thessaly, class: OTHER, descriptionModule briefSummary: Previous evidence suggests that though N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation following eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage disrupts the skeletal muscle's repair and remodelling process at 8 days of recovery, it attenuates substantially the decline of skeletal muscle performance during the first 48 hours of recovery. The enhanced performance capacity during the first phase of recovery in response to NAC supplementation might be attributed to the altered redox status in skeletal muscle as a consequence of the NAC-mediated elevation of reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. The rise in GSH results in a redox-dependent attenuation of immune cell mobilisation and reduction of oxidative stress response, leading to a blunted rise of muscle damage and inflammatory markers during the first 2-3 days of recovery. However, following exercise-induced muscle damage, protein synthesis increases in skeletal muscle over the next 24-48 hours to support its repair process, and thus protein supplementation might accelerate the recovery process by enhancing the protein synthetic response. Therefore, the present study aims at investigating for first time the combined effect of NAC and whey protein supplementation on the short-term (during the first 72 hours) recovery process of skeletal muscle following damaging exercise (eccentric exercise) and compared it with the well-documented efficacy of NAC supplementation. The results of this study might be particularly useful for athletes, such as those in soccer and basketball, that participate in 3 games or intense training sessions during the same macrocycle with only 48-72 hours of recovery in-between., conditionsModule conditions: Aseptic Muscle Injury, designModule studyType: INTERVENTIONAL, phases: NA, designInfo allocation: RANDOMIZED, interventionModel: PARALLEL, interventionModelDescription: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group model., primaryPurpose: TREATMENT, maskingInfo masking: TRIPLE, maskingDescription: Participants, outcomes assessor and the principal investigator will be blinded until the intervention and the outcomes' assessment is done., whoMasked: PARTICIPANT, whoMasked: INVESTIGATOR, whoMasked: OUTCOMES_ASSESSOR, enrollmentInfo count: 30, type: ESTIMATED, armsInterventionsModule interventions name: Placebo, interventions name: NAC, interventions name: NAC + Whey Protein, outcomesModule primaryOutcomes measure: Change in maximal voluntary isometric muscle contraction., primaryOutcomes measure: Change in countermovement jump height., primaryOutcomes measure: Change in delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS), primaryOutcomes measure: Change in reduced glutathione content., primaryOutcomes measure: Change in oxidized glutathione content., primaryOutcomes measure: Change in catalase activity., primaryOutcomes measure: Change in protein carbonyl concentration, primaryOutcomes measure: Change in myoglobin concentration in blood., secondaryOutcomes measure: Participants' lean body mass, secondaryOutcomes measure: Participants' daily physical activity-related energy expenditure., secondaryOutcomes measure: Participants daily dietary intake., secondaryOutcomes measure: Participants' resting metabolic rate., secondaryOutcomes measure: Participants' cardiorespiratory fitness status., secondaryOutcomes measure: Participants' fat free mass., secondaryOutcomes measure: Participants' fat mass., secondaryOutcomes measure: Participants' body fat percent., eligibilityModule sex: MALE, minimumAge: 18 Years, maximumAge: 27 Years, stdAges: ADULT, contactsLocationsModule locations facility: Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, status: RECRUITING, city: Tríkala, state: Karies, zip: 42100, country: Greece, contacts name: Dimitrios Draganidis, PhD, role: CONTACT, phone: +30 2431047078, email: ddraganidis@uth.gr, contacts name: Ioannis G Fatouros, PhD, role: CONTACT, phone: +302431047047, email: ifatouros@uth.gr, geoPoint lat: 39.55493, lon: 21.76837, hasResults: False