Pre-exercise chickpea milk consumption supports glycemic stability during endurance exercise in female runners

This study investigated the effects of pre-exercise chickpea milk consumption on glycemic stability and physiological responses during endurance exercise in trained female runners.

Fourteen eumenorrheic female half-marathon runners (25-35 years) completed a randomized, double-blind, counterbalanced crossover trial. Participants consumed 250 mL of chickpea milk or soy milk or a maltodextrin placebo 30 min before exercise, with each trial conducted during the follicular phase and separated by a washout period of at least one week. The exercise protocol consisted of treadmill running at 60% of maximal heart rate for 60 min, followed by running at 80% of maximal heart rate until volitional exhaustion. Blood glucose, blood lactate, free fatty acids, creatine kinase, respiratory exchange ratio, rating of perceived exertion, and time to exhaustion were assessed.

Blood glucose concentrations differed significantly between the beverage conditions (p < 0.05). Compared with the placebo, chickpea milk produced a more stable glycemic response during exercise. Blood glucose variability, assessed using the coefficient of variation, differed significantly among beverage conditions (p = 0.031), with lower values following chickpea milk (13.07 ± 4.33%), and soy milk (12.37 ± 4.62%) compared with the placebo (16.07 ± 4.89%). No significant differences were observed among the beverage conditions for blood lactate, free fatty acids, creatine kinase, respiratory exchange ratio, rating of perceived exertion, or time to exhaustion (all p > 0.05).

Pre-exercise chickpea milk consumption supported glycemic stability during prolonged endurance exercise in trained female runners, but did not improve exercise performance or other physiological outcomes. Larger, adequately powered studies are warranted to determine whether this metabolic response translates into meaningful improvements in endurance performance.