{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,8]],"date-time":"2026-11-08T06:07:41Z","timestamp":1794118061379,"version":"4.8.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,7]],"date-time":"2025-08-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1754524800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Plant-based protein supplementation in supporting muscle recovery following resistance exercise remains an area of growing interest, particularly among vegan athletes, as a potential alternative to animal-based proteins. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of plant-based proteins on recovery from resistance exercise-induced muscle damage in healthy young adults. Methods: A systematic and comprehensive search was administered in eight databases up to 1 May 2025, identifying 1407 articles. Following deduplication and screening, 24 studies met the eligibility criteria, including 22 randomized controlled trials and 2 non-randomized studies, with the majority from high income western countries. Results: Interventions primarily involved soy, pea, rice, hemp, potato, and blended plant protein sources, with doses ranging from 15 to 50 g, typically administered post resistance exercise. Outcomes assessed included muscle protein synthesis (MPS), delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), inflammatory biomarkers, muscle function, and fatigue. The review findings reaffirm that single-source plant proteins generally offer limited benefits compared to animal proteins such as whey, particularly in acute recovery settings, a limitation well-documented consistently in the literature. However, our synthesis highlights that well-formulated plant protein blends (e.g., combinations of pea, rice, and canola) can stimulate MPS at levels comparable to whey when consumed at adequate doses (\u226530 g with ~2.5 g leucine). Some studies also reported improvements in subjective recovery outcomes and reductions in muscle damage biomarkers with soy or pea protein. However, overall evidence remains limited by small sample sizes, moderate to high risk of bias, and heterogeneity in intervention protocols, protein formulations, and outcome measures. Risk of bias assessments revealed concerns related to detection and reporting bias in nearly half the studies. Due to clinical and methodological variability, a meta-analysis was not conducted. Conclusion: plant-based proteins particularly in the form of protein blends and when dosed appropriately, may support muscle recovery in resistance-trained individuals and offer a viable alternative to animal-based proteins. However, further high-quality, long-term trials in vegan populations are needed to establish definitive recommendations for plant protein use in sports nutrition.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17152571","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,8]],"date-time":"2025-08-08T08:09:35Z","timestamp":1754640575000},"page":"2571","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Effect of Plant-Based Proteins on Recovery from Resistance Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Healthy Young Adults\u2014A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Karuppasamy","family":"Govindasamy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sports, Recreation and Wellness, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Hyderabad Campus, Modallaguda (V), Nandigama (M), Rangareddy, Hyderabad 509217, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1139-7731","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Koulla","family":"Parpa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sport and Exercise Science, UCLan University of Cyprus, Pyla 7080, Cyprus"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9332-1783","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Borko","family":"Katanic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Montenegrin Sports Academy, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6610-4617","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cain C. T.","family":"Clark","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Life Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham B15 3TN, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0022-961X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Masilamani","family":"Elayaraja","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sports, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-6426-8809","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ibnu Noufal","family":"Kambitta Valappil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physical Education and Sports, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Corina","family":"Dulceanu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310330 Arad, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8488-1698","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vlad Adrian","family":"Geant\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, 310330 Arad, Romania"},{"name":"Doctoral School of Sport Science and Physical Education, Pite\u0219ti University Center, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, 110253 Pite\u0219ti, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gloria Alexandra","family":"Tolan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Multidisciplinary Doctoral School, \u201cVasile Goldis\u201d Western University, 310419 Arad, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6743-6464","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hassane","family":"Zouhal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut International des Sciences du Sport (2I2S), 35850 Irodouer, France"},{"name":"Laboratoire Optimisation de la Performance Sportive (LR09SEP01), Centre National de la M\u00e9decine et des Sciences des Sports, Tunis 1004, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"47939","DOI":"10.1021\/acsomega.4c07560","article-title":"Plant-Based Diet and Sports Performance","volume":"9","author":"Sarmento","year":"2024","journal-title":"ACS Omega"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhao, S., Xu, Y., Li, J., and Ning, Z. 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