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- 🏋️♂️ Vegan Diets Enhance Muscle Synthesis; Machine Learning Predicts Field-Sport Distances Accurately
🏋️♂️ Vegan Diets Enhance Muscle Synthesis; Machine Learning Predicts Field-Sport Distances Accurately
🐍🥗 Build a Plant-Based Protein Tracker with Python
Haresh Suppiah
August 25, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes
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Hello there,
In today’s edition:
• Impact of vegan diets on muscle protein synthesis
• Predicting field-sport distances using machine learning
• What do elite rowing coxswains say during races?
• Association between pelvic dysfunction and running in postpartum women
• Perceptions of gender equality in female football players
and several more…
In focus: Understanding the Impact of Vegan Diets on Muscle Protein Synthesis
Recent studies provide valuable insights into whether vegan diets can support muscle protein synthesis and hypertrophy comparably to omnivorous diets, particularly among those engaged in strength training. Notably, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition titled Vegan and Omnivorous High Protein Diets Support Comparable Daily Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Rates and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Young Adults indicates that adequate protein intake from vegan sources can support muscle growth similar to that from animal sources when young adults undergo resistance training.
Another research effort, which can be explored in High-Protein Plant-Based Diet Versus a Protein-Matched Omnivorous Diet to Support Resistance Training Adaptations, reinforces this view by demonstrating that habitual vegans and omnivores achieved comparable increases in muscle mass and strength when protein was adequately provided (approximately 1.6 g/kg/day). This demonstrates that the source of protein—whether plant-based or animal-derived—may not significantly impact resistance training outcomes.
Moreover, studies have identified lower anabolic responses from plant proteins versus animal proteins due to differences in amino acid profiles and digestion, as highlighted in the review article The Anabolic Response to Plant-Based Protein Ingestion. However, increasing the intake of these proteins or their strategic combinations could bolster their effectiveness for muscle synthesis.
In summary, for athletes and those involved in strength training, embracing a vegan diet is a feasible strategy for maximizing muscle synthesis and strength gains, as long as they meet their dietary protein needs.
-Haresh 🤙
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How to Create a Plant-Based Protein Tracker with Python?
This type of tool is what sports nutritionists could use to optimize training diets. By understanding both the programming logic and the nutritional science, you're building skills that bridge technology and sports performance. The visual component makes it easy to communicate nutritional strategies to coaches and athletes.
📊 Expected Output
💻 Launch This Project in Colab
Open the interactive Google Colab notebook for today's project — with full instructions, hints, and solutions.
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Key finding:
Vegan and omnivorous diets produce similar muscle protein synthesis rates during resistance training in young adults.
How they did it:
Methodology: The study involved 40 healthy young adults (28 men, 12 women) who adhered to either an omnivorous (OMN) or vegan (VGN) diet for 9 days while undergoing a controlled resistance training program. Participants consumed 1.1–1.2 grams of dietary protein per kilogram of body weight per day, with protein distributed either in a balanced manner (approximately 20% per meal) or unbalanced (10%, 30%, and 60% across three meals).
Results: Myofibrillar protein synthesis rates were similar across all dietary groups, with OMN-UB at 3.04%/d, OMN-B at 2.43%/d, VGN-UB at 2.52%/d, and VGN-B at 2.49%/d (all comparisons non-significant, P>0.05). Additionally, there were no significant differences found in caloric intake or perceived exercise enjoyment between the dietary patterns.
Innovations: The study utilized a novel approach for measuring integrated myofibrillar protein synthesis through the administration of deuterated water (D2O) and subsequent saliva and muscle biopsy analysis, enhancing the precision of assessing protein synthesis rates over the intervention period.
Conclusion: This trial demonstrated that both omnivorous and vegan dietary patterns, regardless of protein distribution, support similar myofibrillar protein synthesis rates during short-term resistance training, suggesting flexibility in dietary choices for muscle health in physically active young adults.
Psychological Impact: Participants following the OMN diet reported greater feelings of pleasantness compared to the VGN group, while those on a vegan diet reported higher energy levels and lower fatigue post-exercise, indicating differing morale responses associated with dietary patterns in relation to resistance training.
Why it matters:
These findings highlight that both omnivorous and vegan diets can effectively support muscle protein synthesis rates during resistance training, making it easier for coaches and athletes to choose a diet that aligns with their values or preferences. With no significant differences in protein synthesis observed between dietary patterns, including similar rates (around 2.5-3.0% per day), practitioners can confidently implement either approach without compromising muscle performance and recovery.
Key finding:
XGBoost effectively predicts distances covered by athletes in indoor sports without GPS, optimizing performance and conditioning.
How they did it:
Methodology: The study analyzed data from 339 collegiate Division 1 athletes (70 male and 69 female soccer players, 91 male and 70 female lacrosse players), focusing on their performance metrics during training sessions across multiple seasons. Data collection involved GPS devices worn during activities, with established distance values for total, sprinting, and running distances calculated based on velocity bands.
Results: XGBoost Regressor demonstrated the lowest root-mean-square error (RMSE) for total distance at 97.962 meters, sprinting distance at 91.616 meters, and running distance at 137.103 meters, outperforming other models significantly (P < .001) with variations in prediction accuracy based on gender and sport context.
Innovations: The study employed machine learning techniques, including XGBoost, ElasticNet, Ridge, and Lasso regression to predict indoor performance metrics without GPS. This approach addresses technological limitations faced by teams during indoor training while providing a modern alternative for data-driven decision-making in athlete management.
Contextual Findings: Performance accuracy varied greatly depending on the context, with a notable RMSE difference in total distance during game situations compared to practices (e.g., men’s lacrosse games had an RMSE of 266 meters versus 76 meters in practice), highlighting the need for adaptable and contextual approaches in model application.
Practical Implications: The findings emphasize the potential applications of machine learning for accurately predicting running and sprint distances indoors, which assists in effective workload management and injury prevention strategies for athletes, ensuring they remain well-prepared for competitions despite technological constraints.
Why it matters:
These findings illustrate how machine learning models, specifically XGBoost, can accurately predict distance metrics in field sports, even in indoor settings where GPS data is unavailable. With an average error of 91.6 meters for sprinting distance, coaches can potentially rely on these predictions to fine-tune training loads, enhance athlete performance, and potentially reduce injury risks from overtraining.
Biomechanics
-Experienced runners exhibit greater local dynamic stability than novices, particularly at higher running speeds.
Concussion in Sport
-The Pediatric Concussion Treadmill Test helps assess and diagnose concussions in children aged 5 to 12 effectively.
Female Athlete
-Running kinetics and pelvic acceleration do not significantly relate to pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms in postpartum women.
Female Athlete
-High-intensity training is significantly reduced during menstruation and the pill’s break in elite female cyclists.
Gender and Sex Differences in Sport
-Elite Italian women football players face significant gender inequalities in balancing sport and education, prioritizing academics over athletic development.
Physical Education and Pedagogy
-The “open gym” program successfully engages 37% of students, with higher attendance among boys, but also encourages girls’ participation.
Skill acquisition
-Elite rowing coxswains make 32 calls per minute, focusing on technical, motivational, and tactical communication with their crews.
Skill acquisition
-Skateboarding success criteria are subjective and vary by skill and discipline, complicating training and performance expectations.
Sport Physiology
-Regular exercise and avoiding smoking improve cardiovascular fitness in adolescents and adults, reducing disease risk.
Sport Physiology
-End-of-session D’ balance can differentiate exhaustive and nonexhaustive running sessions but inaccurately represents true exhaustion levels.
Sport Technology
-Indoor and outdoor cycling tests show that neither chosen method effectively detects significant changes in aerodynamic drag area for equipment selection.
Strength and Conditioning
-Shorter, multiple sessions of high-intensity exercise lead to greater energy burn with less effort than a single longer session.
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