Vicia Faba Supplement for Muscle Recovery

Overseen By Brandon Shepherd, MS

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: PepsiCo Global R&D

Must not be taking: Testosterone, Estrogen, Creatine, NSAIDS

Disqualifiers: G6PD deficiency, Alcohol abuse, Pregnancy, Unstable conditions, Neurological disorders, others

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 17 days

76 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial tests how a protein from fava beans, known as Vicia faba protein concentrate, affects muscle soreness after exercise. Participants will take either the PeptiStrong® supplement, which contains Vicia Faba Hydrolysate, or a placebo for up to 17 days to determine its effect on delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), the pain and stiffness felt after exercising. It suits healthy, moderately active individuals aged 18 to 45 who do not smoke and are willing to avoid other supplements and alcohol during the trial. As an unphased trial, this study provides a unique opportunity to contribute to research that could improve recovery for active individuals.

Do I need to stop taking my current medications for the trial?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but you must avoid additional supplements, especially protein-based ones, during the study.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Studies have shown that the protein from Vicia faba, found in PeptiStrong®, is generally safe. In past research, participants tolerated it well without major side effects. They took 2.4 grams daily, which improved muscle strength and reduced tiredness without causing harm. Another study found that this supplement was as safe as a milk protein supplement. This suggests that PeptiStrong® is safe for most people, but consulting a doctor before starting any new supplement is always advisable. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial's treatments?

Unlike traditional muscle recovery treatments that often rely on anti-inflammatory drugs or protein supplements, PeptiStrong® stands out due to its unique active ingredient, Vicia Faba Hydrolysate. Researchers are excited about this treatment because it potentially enhances muscle recovery by providing specific peptides that support muscle repair and growth. Additionally, PeptiStrong® can show effectiveness in as little as three days, which is significantly faster than many existing options that require several weeks to deliver noticeable results. This quick turnaround could be a game-changer for athletes and individuals seeking rapid recovery from muscle strain.

What evidence suggests that Vicia Faba Hydrolysate might be an effective treatment for muscle soreness?

Studies have shown that the protein from Vicia faba, found in PeptiStrong®, can help muscles recover faster after exercise. In this trial, participants may receive PeptiStrong® for either 3 days or 17 days. Research indicates that individuals taking PeptiStrong® experienced a 144% improvement in muscle recovery compared to those on a placebo. Another study found that muscle tiredness significantly decreased, and those not taking PeptiStrong® lost 54% more strength. Additionally, PeptiStrong® increased muscle strength and lowered levels of myostatin, a protein that slows muscle growth. Overall, these findings suggest that PeptiStrong® may effectively aid muscle recovery and reduce soreness after exercise. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Kris Osterberg, PhD, RD

Principal Investigator

PepsiCo R&D Life Sciences, Sports Science

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for men and women aged 18-45 who are moderately active, have a BMI of 18.5-29.9, don't smoke, and can fast overnight before tests. They must not drink alcohol before test days or take other supplements during the study, especially protein-based ones. Participants should maintain their normal diet and light exercise routine throughout the study.

Inclusion Criteria

Moderately active (exercise 3-5 days per week)

Fluent in reading, writing, and speaking English

BMI between 18.5 and 29.9 kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria

I am taking testosterone or estrogen supplements, not for birth control.

I have not been in any clinical trials in the last 30 days or PepsiCo trials in the last 6 months.

I have health issues that could stop me from exercising.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive either 2.4g/day of PeptiStrong® supplement capsules or placebo capsules for 14 days until a strenuous exercise session. For the last 3 days, 2/3 of them stay on the same treatment and 1/3 of them switch from placebo to PeptiStrong®.

17 days

Exercise and Recovery

Participants undergo a strenuous exercise session followed by monitoring of muscle strength recovery and soreness.

3 days

Daily assessments

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Vicia Faba Hydrolysate

Trial Overview The trial examines if PeptiStrong®, a Fava bean-derived protein supplement (2.4g/day), helps with muscle soreness after strenuous exercise compared to placebo capsules over 14 days. Some participants will switch from placebo to PeptiStrong® for the last three days.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: PeptiStrong® 3 days Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

14 days of Placebo followed by 3 days of PeptiStrong®

Group II: PeptiStrong® 17 days Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

PeptiStrong® capsules 2.4 grams/day for 17 days

Group III: Placebo Placebo Group 1 Intervention

PeptiStrong® capsules 2.4 grams per day for 17 days

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

PepsiCo Global R&D

Lead Sponsor

Trials

99

Recruited

13,600+

Ramon Laguarta

PepsiCo Global R&D

Chief Executive Officer since 2018

MBA from ESADE Business School

Mark Kirkham

PepsiCo Global R&D

Chief Marketing Officer

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Trinity College Dublin

Published Research Related to This Trial

The hydrolysate derived from vicia faba (NPN_1) significantly improved muscle health by increasing the phosphorylation of S6 and reducing muscle atrophy-related gene expression in both in vitro and in vivo models.

In a murine model of disuse atrophy, 18 days of NPN_1 treatment led to a notable reduction in muscle loss and an increase in muscle fiber types, indicating its potential as a nutritional intervention to combat muscle wasting.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Preclinical Evaluation of a Food-Derived Functional Ingredient to Address Skeletal Muscle Atrophy. Cal, R., Davis, H., Kerr, A., et al.[2021]

A new rapid screening method using flow injection analysis coupled with tandem mass spectrometry can effectively distinguish between high and low vicine and convicine (v-c) levels in faba bean genotypes, which is crucial for crop improvement.

This method allows for the screening of a large number of genotypes (370 in this study) quickly and accurately, facilitating the development of low v-c faba bean cultivars and addressing health concerns related to v-c consumption.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Toward a high-throughput method for determining vicine and convicine levels in faba bean seeds using flow injection analysis combined with tandem mass spectrometry. Purves, RW., Khazaei, H., Vandenberg, A.[2018]

In a study involving 16 young, healthy adults, ingestion of fava bean protein (FBP) after resistance exercise did not significantly increase the myofibrillar fractional synthetic rate (myoFSR) compared to a control group.

Despite resistance exercise increasing myoFSR, the consumption of 0.33 g·kg-1 of FBP did not enhance muscle protein synthesis at rest or post-exercise, suggesting that FBP may not be an effective protein source for promoting muscle recovery in this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Effect of Fava Bean (Vicia faba L.) Protein Ingestion on Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis at Rest and after Resistance Exercise in Healthy, Young Men and Women: A Randomised Control Trial. Davies, RW., Kozior, M., Lynch, AE., et al.[2023]

Rats fed with Vicia Faba L. protein (12% and 18%) showed lower myofibrillar gain and synthesis compared to those fed with casein, indicating that legume protein may be less effective for muscle development.

The negative effects of Vicia Faba L. on muscle protein synthesis were most pronounced in the first 28 days, suggesting that its antinutritional properties can hinder protein turnover during early development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Developmental changes on protein turnover in growing rats fed on diets containing field beans (Vicia faba L.) as source of protein. Martínez, JA., Larralde, J.[2018]

Feeding chickens a diet containing 20% faba beans, regardless of their vicin and convicin content, did not negatively impact their growth, carcass quality, or overall health, based on two experiments involving various chicken genotypes.

The study included purebred and crossbred chickens, and the results suggest that faba beans can be a safe and effective alternative protein source in poultry nutrition without adverse effects on fattening performance.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Growth Performance of Local Chicken Breeds, a High-Performance Genotype and Their Crosses Fed with Regional Faba Beans to Replace Soy. Nolte, T., Jansen, S., Weigend, S., et al.[2020]

In a study of male growing Wistar rats over 15 days, those fed raw Vicia faba L. (Vf) showed increased muscle protein synthesis and breakdown rates, indicating enhanced muscle metabolism compared to pair-fed controls.

Vf-fed rats experienced significant hormonal changes, including decreased insulin and thyrotropin levels and increased glucagon and triiodothyronine, which may contribute to the observed alterations in muscle fiber composition and metabolism.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Hormone-related, muscle-specific changes in protein metabolism and fiber type profile after faba bean intake. Frühbeck, G., Villaro, AC., Monreal, I., et al.[2017]

Rats fed raw Vicia faba L. legumes for seven weeks showed significant growth impairment, reduced food efficiency, and decreased daily weight gain compared to control rats fed casein.

The study also found a notable decrease in the weight of skeletal muscle, carcass, viscera, and liver in the rats consuming raw legumes, indicating potential negative effects on overall health and development.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Correlation among growth rate and organ weights of rats fed on diets containing Vicia faba L. or casein as sources of protein at different levels. Martinez, JA., Larralde, J.[2018]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12322553/

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to ... Intergroup analysis at day 56 showed that the VFH group had a significantly greater increase in 1RM leg muscle strength compared with placebo (p=0.05, Cohen's d ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9967853/

Improved Strength Recovery and Reduced Fatigue with ... Muscle fatigue was significantly reduced over the same 72 h period (p = 0.041), as was myostatin expression (p = 0.006). A concomitant increase ...

3. oxfordglobal.com oxfordglobal.com/nextgen-biomed/resources/ai-discovered-peptide-has-dramatic-impact-on-muscle-conditioning

AI-Discovered Peptide has Dramatic Impact on Muscle ... It was shown to boost strength recovery and performance after exercise, with volunteers who did not take PeptiStrong losing 54% more strength ...

4. casi.org casi.org/trial-investigates-peptistrong-supplementation-muscle-strength-recovery-restoration

Randomized Controlled Trial Investigates PeptiStrong ... This translated to a 144% increase in muscle recovery rate compared to the placebo. This study also suggests that PeptiStrong™ may help support ...

5. trialx.com trialx.com/clinical-trials/listings/316354/the-effect-of-vicia-faba-hydrolysate-supplementation-on-muscle-strength-recovery/

The Effect of Vicia Faba Hydrolysate Supplementation on ... Results showed that 17 days of 2.4 grams of PeptiStrong® significantly improved muscle strength, reduced muscle fatigue, and reduced myostatin ...

6. withpower.com withpower.com/trial/phase-muscles-1-2025-afe33

Vicia Faba Supplement for Muscle Recovery This N/A medical study run by PepsiCo Global R&D is evaluating whether Vicia Faba Hydrolysate will have tolerable side effects & efficacy for patients with ...

7. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/4/986

Improved Strength Recovery and Reduced Fatigue with ... NPN_1 significantly improves strength recovery and restoration, reduces fatigue and positively modulates alterations in markers related to muscle homeostasis.

8. cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl cris.maastrichtuniversity.nl/files/173116710/Weijzen-2023-Vicia-faba-Peptide-Network-Supplementation.pdf

Vicia faba Peptide Network Supplementation Does Not Objectives: This study aimed to compare the impact of Vicia faba peptide network compared with milk protein supplementation on muscle mass and ...