Whey proteins have been shown

to preserve the levels of serum albumin and total proteins during exercise (Pimenta, Abecia-Soria, Auler, & Amaya-Farfan 2006). Serum albumin has antioxidant capacity, assisting in the transport of antioxidant agents, such as bilirubin and Selleckchem PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor nitric oxide (Quinlan, Martin, & Evans 2005). The present results suggest that the consumption of either form of whey proteins could minimise the losses of serum albumin, thus sparing its functional properties, including its antioxidant capacity. The present results for AST and ALT enzymes and blood urea indicated that none of the protein sources caused any apparent liver or kidney damage. The CK and LDH are blood indicators related to muscle damage (Cooke, Rybalka, Stathis, Cribb, & Hayes 2010). Ours results for CK and LDH showed no significant alteration in relation to the diet or exercise. This was probably due to the times of the sample collections, since the rise in the levels of CK and LDH can take from 24 to 72 h to occur (Cooke et selleck chemical al. 2010).

The consumption of WP favoured an increase in the levels of serum creatinine. Investigations have suggested that creatinine could be used as indirect marker to estimate muscle mass, since there is a strong correlation between serum creatinine levels and the amount of lean mass (Schutte, Longhurst, Gaffney, Bastian, & Blomqvist 1981). Glycogen is one of the most important forms by which an organism can store energy. Exercise causes a depletion of glycogen stores, which affects performance and the anticipation of fatigue. The speed of restoration of the glycogen stores after exercise is also an important factor in the recovery process. The rate of restoration is variable and can take up to 24 h, depending on the diet and on the extent of glycogen depletion (Jentjens & Jeukendrup 2003). Both WP and WPH restored the glycogen reserves in the gastrocnemius muscle more effectively than casein. The present results are consistent with the findings of Morifuji, Sakai, Sanbongi, and Sugiura (2005), who also observed that the glycogen

concentrations increased in exercised rats that had consumed whey protein. The mechanism by which whey proteins stimulate the accumulation of glycogen is still unknown. Depending on the Miconazole diet consumed after exercise, depleted muscle glycogen concentrations can increase to above basal levels, such as those found in the non-exercised muscle, by a process known as glycogen supercompensation (Jentjens & Jeukendrup, 2003). The present results supported this concept in that glycogen levels were higher in the exercised animals than in the sedentary animals. In addition, it has been suggested that increases in HSP70 levels can stimulate lipid oxidation by elevating citrate synthase and β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase levels, thus promoting energy expenditure (Henstridge et al. 2010), which could aid in the preservation of glycogen as a source of energy.