In 2025, Xiaorong Ji and team from Shanghai University of Sport reviewed 21 studies with 1,200+ healthy adults. They looked at how whey protein, taken with exercise like weight lifting or running, helps build muscle. The studies compared groups using whey (20-40g per dose) to those doing exercise alone or with other proteins, measuring muscle protein synthesis (how muscles repair and grow) and the AKT/mTOR pathway, a cell signal that turns on muscle building.

In 2025, Beiwang Deng and team from Guangzhou Sport University conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate how dietary supplements, combined with conditioning training, affect athletes’ muscle strength, jump performance, sprint speed, and muscle mass.