The Effects of Nutritional Supplementation on Occupational Performance in Firefighters

Ward Dobbs30 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of protein and carbohydrate supplementation, with and without creatine, on occupational performance in firefighters. Research has examined the effects of adding creatine to whey protein and carbohydrates on training adaptations in resistance-trained individuals with mixed finding. Furthermore, the ergogenic benefit of protein and carbohydrate supplementation, with or without creatine, in firefighters is largely unknown. Therefore, the primary aim of the current study was to examine the effects of protein and carbohydrate supplementation, with or without creatine, on occupational performance in firefighters.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Fatigue

Interventions

Participants were assigned to ingest a single serving daily of either A) a 25-gram dose of whey protein isolate + 25-gram dose of carbohydrate powder (ProCarb); or B) a 25-gram dose of Whey Protein Isolate + 25-gram dose of carbohydrate powder + 5-gram dose of creatine monohydrate (Creatine) for a 17-21-day period.

Eligibility

Sex: MALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 55 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Being a firefighter between the ages of 18-55 years of age, and medically cleared for field duty. Exclusion Criteria: * Any current musculoskeletal or neurological condition that would prohibit the completion of performance testing.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Time to completion

Time to completion for tasks including a hose carry, body drag, stair climb, and forcible entry (Keiser sled hammer) for time. For the hose carry, firefighters advanced a 30.48 m section of a charged 4.45 cm hose line over a distance of 30.5 m in a straight line before flowing water for 2 seconds. Rescue consisted of firefighters being instructed to grasp a mannequin (mass 50 kg, height: 180 cm) underneath the shoulders using a "seatbelt" grip and dragging the mannequin 30.5 m backward. This test is known as the body drag. Stair climb consisted of climbing four flights of stairs and returning to the bottom as quickly as possible. In the forcible entry, firefighters struck a simulated forcible entry chopping device (Keiser FORCE Machine, Keiser Co., USA) using a 3.6 kg sledgehammer until completed. The total time to complete each task was recorded, in addition to the total completion time for all tasks summed together.

Time frame: 24 Days

Time Trial

A maximal effort, 3.5 km time trial on an air-braked cycle ergometer (Assault Bike, As-sault Fitness Products, Carlsbad, CA, USA).