Table 3. Intervention characteristics of the selected studies. Study Design Type of exercise test Supplementation Diet control Measurement Time-points Performance markers Muscle damage markers Inflammatory & oxidative stress markers Arent et al., 2010 Blinded, placebo-controlled Graded maximal treadmill test to exhaustion Resurgex Plus® vs Isocaloric placebo 3-day dietary recall, prior to trials Before & after treadmill test, at the beginning & end of preseason Lactate threshold, VO2max, time to exhaustion CK 8-isoprostane, lipid hydroperoxide Betts et al., 2009 Single-blind, repeated measures crossover 90min of high-intensity intermittent shuttle-running CHO vs CHO+PRO 2-day dietary recall, prior to trials & 1-day dietary recall post exercise At baseline and 4h, 24h, 48h & 168h after exercise Peak isometric torque-flexors & extensors Myoglobin, CK, LDH, cortisol IL-6, IL10, IL-1 receptor antagonist, CRP, WBC Cockburn et al., 2013 Blinded, repeated measures parallel Unilateral knee flexions (6 sets x 10 reps, 1.05 rad/s-1, 90-s rest) on isokinetic dynamometer Semi-skimmed milk vs water Diet recorded throughout the study At baseline and 24h, 48h and 72h post-exercise CMV jump height, reactive strength index, 15-m sprint, agility, LIST Passive & active DOMS, CK, myoglobin N/A Gentle et al., 2014 Randomized cross-over 87-min basketball game stimulation CHO meal vs CHO+PRO meal Diet recorded 24 hours prior to the first trial At baseline, during as well as 30 min and 24h post-exercise Free throw success, sprint time, jump height Passive & active DOMS, CK N/A Gilson et al., 2010 Double-blind, randomized cross-over 4-day soccer training period, with increased training duration CHO vs Low-fat chocolate milk Diet recorded during the 4-day training period At baseline, day 2 and day 4 post-ITD training period MVC, T-drill test, vertical jump Muscle soreness, CK, myoglobin, N/A Gunnarsson et al., 2013 Two-group repeated measures A competitive soccer match Normal diet vs high carbohydrate-high protein diet Recorded over 48h post-match At baseline and 15 min, 24h and 48h after the match N/A CK, myoglobin, muscle glycogen resynthesis N/A Highton et al., 2013 Double-blind, randomized cross-over Modified LIST CHO vs CHO+PRO 2-day dietary recall, prior to trials At baseline, during and immediately after LIST Distance covered, maximal speed & average running speed during LIST N/A N/A Naclerio et al., 2014 Double-blind, single group repeated measures 90-min intermittent repeated sprint test PLA vs CHO vs CHO+PRO multi-ingredient 3-day dietary recall, prior to trials At baseline, immediately post, 1h and 24h post-exercise Total sprint time, 15-m sprint time CK, myoglobin IL-6 Naclerio et al., 2015 Double-blind, repeated measures, counter-balanced, crossover 90-min intermittent repeated sprint (IRS) test PLA vs CHO vs CHO+PRO multi-ingredient 3-day dietary recall, prior to trials At baseline, immediately post, 1h and 24h post-exercise Time for 90-min IRS, 15-m sprint test Myoglobin, CK, IL-6, Neutrophil, Lymphocytes, Monocyte Poulios et al., 2018 Randomized, repeated-measures, crossover, double-blind Two-trial (2 weeks), 2 soccer matches & 4 practices /week Milk Protein Smooth (PRO) vs isoenergetic placebo (maltodextrin) Diet recorded Prior to each trial (RMR, REE) 7-day dietary recall during both trials At baseline, immediately post, 24h, 48h, 72h post -1st match, 24h, 48h, 72h post-2nd match for blood, At baseline 24h, 48h post -1st match, 24h, 48h, 72h post-2nd match for performance testing 10-m sprint(s), 30-m sprint (s), CMJ (cm), KE strength, KF strength GPS: Average HR, Total distance, Distance at >14 km/h, Peak speed (km/h), Accelerations, Decelerations CK, DOMS WBC, Granulocyte, TBARS, PC, GSH, TAC CK: Creatine kinase, LDH: Lactate dehydrogenase, CHO: Carbohydrate, PRO: Protein, DOMS: Delayed onset of muscle soreness, LIST: Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test, HR: Heart rate, RPE: Ratings of perceived exertion, MVC: Maximal voluntary contraction, PLA: Placebo, RMR: Resting Metabolic Rate, TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure, KE: Knee extensors, KF: Knee Flexors, WBC: White blood, cells, GSH: Reduced glutathione, TBARS: Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, PC: Protein carbonyls, TAC: Total antioxidant capacity, GPS: global positioning system.