PARSIPPANY, N.J.

PeptoPro®, a protein hydrolysate from DSM Food Specialties, helps speed athletes’ recovery after rigorous activity, boosting performance in subsequent exercise, according to new clinical trials from the Olympic Support Centre. Athletes (n=50) between the ages of 17 and 39 were given Multipower Re-Charge, a mixture of PeptoPro, a peptide based on milk protein, and carbohydrates, or a carbohydrate-only supplement.

According to Stefan Siebrecht, business development director with DSM, consumption of the PeptoPro-containing drink improved the athletes’ performance and decreased recovery time between training sessions.

“The increased performance of the athletes who drank the Multipower Re-Charge drink containing 4.2% PeptoPro is significant,” he said. “The trials showed an improvement of 2% of maximal physical performance after a four-hour recovery period in which PeptoPro was consumed. This really matters for sportsmen and women who need to recover rapidly between races and during training. The degree of ergonicity of PeptoPro in this study is as high as that of caffeine, which increases the performance of trained athletes by 1% to 3%. Caffeine is regarded as a potent substance to boost the performance of athletes, but compared to caffeine, PeptoPro offers more nutritional benefit and is safer as it has no negative side effects.”