NCT06698237 The Effects of Cold-water Immersion on Exercise Performance Recovery and Postprandial Plasma Aminoacidemia

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This trial targets 12 participants in total. It began in 2024-12-20 with a primary completion date of 2025-11-03.

Brief Summary

In order to optimize sports performance, high-level athletes are required to manage conflicting training objectives, which often result in periods of high-volume training. These athletes need to perform heavy resistance training sessions to promote physiological adaptations, which consequently induce fatigue. Yet, they need to minimize fatigue to perform subsequent high-quality training sessions often within the same day. To support these training endeavours, a high-quality dietary regimen and adequate protein consumption is deemed to be an essential component of an athlete's recovery plan, as it has been shown to support muscle recovery and reduce muscle inflammation following exercise. Indeed, current sports nutrition recommendations advocate for the consumption of dietary protein and carbohydrate after exercise to promote tissue repair and replenish muscle energy stores (glycogen). Additionally, previous research has shown how water immersion therapies post-exercise may alleviate fatigue and restore performance. However, little is known about how different temperatures, as well as timing of cold-water immersion can support performance recovery in a population of athletes adhering to contemporary post-exercise nutrition recommendations. The objective of this project is to investigate the effects of timing of cold-water immersion relative to exercise on performance recovery within the same day, as well as to investigate whether cold water immersion augments blood amino acid concentrations after exercise and protein intake.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria To be eligible to participate in this study, a participant must meet all the following criteria: 1. Healthy adult between 18 - 40 years (inclusive). 2. Individual with a BMI between \>18.5 and \<30 kg/m2 (inclusive). 3. Individual who is in good general health (no uncontrolled diseases or conditions). 4. individual with a history of regular resistance training ≥2 per week for the past six-months. 5. Individual who is currently competing at the varsity, provincial, national or international level in their respective sport. 6. Individual who is free from any musculoskeletal injuries and/or conditions that might affect their ability to perform resistance exercises or undergo cold-water immersion. 7. Individual who has maintained stable use of medication and/or supplements, stable dietary and lifestyle habits, and stable body weight (weight loss or gain \<3 kg), for the last three-months prior to screening. 8. Individual who agrees to maintain usual training habits between sessions. Exclusion Criteria 1. Individual who is lactating, pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study. 2. Females with irregular menstrual cycles (defined as outside 24-38 days cycle range, based on self-reports). 3. Individual who adheres to a diet (e.g., vegan diet) that restricts consumption of dairy products. 4. Has a known sensitivity, intolerability, or allergy to any of the study products or their excipients (i.e., lactose intolerant). 5. Weight loss or gain \> 3 kg in the 3 months prior to study visit 1. 6. Currently or planning to be on a weight loss regimen during the study. 7. Recent (within 2 weeks of screening visit) history of an episode of acute GI illness such as nausea/vomiting or diarrhea. 8. Have a history of irritable bowel disease (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease), functional constipation or diarrhea (defined by the Rome IV diagnostic criteria), celiac disease, malabsorption, gastroparesis, diverticulosis, gastric or duodenal ulcers, pancreatitis, or eating disorder; or have a history of intestinal surgery (excluding appendectomy or herniorrhaphy) or bariatric surgery. 9. Have an abnormality or obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract precluding swallowing (e.g., dysphagia) and/or digestion (e.g., history of bowel obstruction). 10. Participated in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and/or colonoscopy or preparation within 3 months prior to screening visit. 11. Diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia (i.e., elevated fasting low- density lipoprotein (LDL) (≥ 135 mg·dL-1; ≥ 3.5 mmol·L-1) or elevated triglycerides (≥ 150 mg·dL-1; ≥1.7 mmol·L-1). 12. Has a history of heart disease/cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension (≥ 140 systolic or ≥ 90 diastolic mmHg), kidney disease (dialysis or renal failure), hepatic impairment or disease. 13. Is Type I or Type II diabetic or pre-diabetic \[i.e., elevated fasting blood glucose levels (≥ 100 mg·dL-1; ≥ 5.6 mmol·L-1) and/or elevated hemoglobin A1c (≥ 6.0%)\]. 14. Has a history of liver or gallbladder disease or stomach ulcers. 15. Has a positive medical history of unstable thyroid disease, previously diagnosed major affective disorder, psychiatric disorder that required hospitalization in the prior year, immune disorders and/or immunocompromised (e.g., HIV/AIDS). 16. Diagnosed with cancer (except localized skin cancer without metastases or in situ cervical cancer) within 5 years prior to the screening visit, or any clinically significant disease or disorder which, in the opinion of the investigator, may either put the potential participant at risk because of participation in the study, or influences the results or the potential participant's ability to participate in the study. 17. Major surgery in 3 months prior to screening or planned major surgery during the study. 18. History of alcohol or substance abuse (including cannabinoids) in the 12 months prior to screening (including having been hospitalized for such in an in-patient or out-patient intervention program). 19. Current or previous tobacco use within the last 6 months. 20. Self-report of blood donation totaling between 101 mL to 449 mL of blood within 30 days prior to screening or a blood donation of more than 450 mL within 56 days prior to baseline. 21. Self-report of donating plasma (e.g., plasmapheresis) within 14 days prior to screening. 22. Any other active or unstable medical conditions or use of medications/supplements/therapies that, in the opinion of the investigator, may adversely affect the participant's ability to complete the study or its measures or pose a significant risk to the participant.

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