Effects of Vegan and Omnivore Diet on Post-Downhill Running Economy and Muscle Function

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the difference between the extent of muscle damaging exercise on muscle function variables of vegans and omnivores. METHODS: = 10) groups. Subjects completed a consent visit followed by 2 visits consisting of running exercise sessions and test familiarization. They returned to the laboratory for visit 4 3-5 days after visit 3 to complete the testing battery. Following the testing, the participants performed a downhill run on the treadmill at -15% grade and approximately 70% of their speed at VO2peak and repeated the testing battery upon completion. Participants were asked to track their food intake. Visits 5, 6, and 7 took place 24, 48, and 72 h following the downhill running protocol, respectively, and consisted of the same testing battery used during visit 4. The detection of differences was performed using two-way (group x time) mixed factorial ANOVA with repeated measures. CONCLUSION: The lack of differences in recovery between the groups suggests that nutritional adequacy may play a role in recovery. Recovery from downhill running might be influenced by several factors beyond diet, such as exercise protocol intensity, individual fitness levels, and age.