The Body Composition Effects of Extra Protein in Elite Mixed Martial Artists Undergoing Frequent Training Over a Six-Week Period
Full manuscript published online June 2018 - EC Nutrition
Dietary protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle when paired with adequate physical activity — but despite plant protein's rising popularity, many consumers remain skeptical of its effectiveness for muscle building. This study set out to compare rice protein against whey protein supplementation in elite athletes undergoing high-volume, high-intensity training.
Eleven healthy male mixed martial artists were divided into two groups, supplementing daily with either whey protein or rice protein made with Oryzatein®. Each athlete took 3 scoops per day (75g of protein total), with at least one scoop (25g) consumed immediately after their first training session of the day.
Training load was demanding: MMA sessions twice a day, five days a week, plus one weekend session, along with two additional strength and conditioning sessions per week. Researchers compared body composition at baseline and again after six weeks of this regimen.
Participants fasted overnight for 12 hours, then consumed their shake within 5 minutes. Researchers measured glycemic markers (blood sugar, insulin, insulin resistance) and gut hormones (GLP-1, PYY, ghrelin) at baseline and again at 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes after consumption. Palatability was tracked while drinking, and satiety was recorded at baseline and every 30 minutes across the full 3-hour window.
After six weeks, neither group showed significant changes in body weight, body fat percentage, fat-free mass, or fat mass — and there were no significant differences between the rice protein and whey groups on any of those measures.
Interestingly, the rice protein group trended toward a lower body fat percentage than the whey group — though the difference didn't reach statistical significance.
Oryzatein® rice protein can be substituted one-to-one for whey protein in products designed to build or maintain muscle mass — including at the higher, 75g daily doses favored by elite combat athletes. Plant protein can hold its own against whey even under demanding, high-frequency training conditions.
Supplementing MMA fighters' diets with either rice or whey protein maintained body composition and fat-free mass throughout the six-week training block. The findings reinforce the original 2013 rice-versus-whey study in collegiate athletes, which found rice protein equally effective at building muscle mass and improving power, strength, and recovery.
There was no benefit to one protein source over the other — both rice and whey protein supported body composition and fat-free mass equally well under high-volume, high-intensity training.