By Will Brink, author of: Muscle Building Nutrition
and Diet Supplements Revealed
When it comes to the topic of sports nutrition there are many myths and
fallacies that float around like some specter in the shadows. They pop
up when you least expect them and throw a monkey wrench into the best
laid plans of the hard training athlete trying to make some headway. Of
all the myths that surface from time to time, the protein myth seems to
be the most deep rooted and pervasive. It just won't go away. The
problem is, exactly who, or which group, is perpetuating the
"myth" cant be easily identified. You see, the conservative
nutritional/medical community thinks it is the bodybuilders who
perpetuate the myth that athletes need more protein and we of the
bodybuilding community think it is them (the mainstream nutritional
community) that is perpetuating the myth that athletes don't need
additional protein! Who is right?
The conservative medical/nutritional community is an odd group. They
make up the rules as they go along and maintain what I refer to as the
"nutritional double standard." If for example you speak about
taking in additional vitamin C to possibly prevent cancer, heart
disease, colds, and other afflictions, they will come back with
"there is still not enough data to support the use of vitamin C as
a preventative measure for these diseases," when in fact there are
literary hundreds of studies showing the many benefits of this vitamin
for the prevention and treatment of said diseases.
And of course, if you tell them you are
on a high protein diet because you are an athlete they will tell you,
"oh you don't want to do that, you don't need it and it will lead
to kidney disease" without a single decent study to back up their
claim! You see they too are susceptible to the skulking myth specter
that spreads lies and confusion. In this article I want to address once
and for all (hopefully) the protein myth as it applies to what the
average person is told when they tell their doctor or some anemic
"all you need are the RDAs" spouting nutritionist that he or
she is following a high protein diet.
Myth #1 "Athletes don't need extra protein"
I figured we should start this myth destroying article off with the most
annoying myth first. Lord, when will this one go away? Now the average
reader person is probably thinking "who in the world still believes
that ridiculous statement?" The answer is a great deal of people,
even well educated medical professionals and scientists who should know
better, still believe this to be true. Don't forget, the high carb, low
fat, low protein diet recommendations are alive and well with the
average nutritionist, doctor, and of course the "don't confuse us
with the facts" media following close behind.
For the past half century or so
scientists using crude methods and poor study design with sedentary
people have held firm to the belief that bodybuilders, strength athletes
of various types, runners, and other highly active people did not
require any more protein than Mr. Potato Head.....err, I mean the
average couch potato. However, In the past few decades researchers using
better study designs and methods with real live athletes have come to a
different conclusion altogether, a conclusion hard training bodybuilders
have known for years. The fact that active people do indeed require far
more protein than the RDA to keep from losing hard earned muscle tissue
when dieting or increasing muscle tissue during the off season.
In a recent review paper on the subject one of the top researchers in
the field (Dr. Peter Lemon) states "...These data suggest that the
RDA for those engaged in regular endurance exercise should be about
1.2-1.4 grams of protein/kilogram of body mass (150%-175% of the current
RDA) and 1.7 - 1.8 grams of protein/kilogram of body mass per day
(212%-225% of the current RDA) for strength exercisers."
Another group of researchers in the field of protein metabolism have
come to similar conclusions repeatedly. They found that strength
training athletes eating approximately the RDA/RNI for protein showed a
decreased whole body protein synthesis (losing muscle jack!) on a
protein intake of 0.86 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. They came to an
almost identical conclusion as that of Dr. Lemon in recommending at
least 1.76g per kilogram of bodyweight per day for strength training
athletes for staying in positive nitrogen balance/increases in whole
body protein synthesis.
This same group found in later research that endurance athletes also
need far more protein than the RDA/RNI and that men catabolize (break
down) more protein than women during endurance exercise.
They concluded "In summary, protein requirements for athletes
performing strength training are greater than sedentary individuals and
are above the current Canadian and US recommended daily protein intake
requirements for young healthy males." All I can say to that is, no
sh%# Sherlock?!
Now my intention of presenting the above quotes from the current
research is not necessarily to convince the average athlete that they
need more protein than Joe shmoe couch potato, but rather to bring to
the readers attention some of the figures presented by this current
research. How does this information relate to the eating habits of the
average athlete and the advice that has been found in the lay
bodybuilding literature years before this research ever existed? With
some variation, the most common advice on protein intakes that could
be-and can be- found in the bodybuilding magazines by the various
writers, coaches, bodybuilders, etc., is one gram of protein per pound
of body weight per day.
So for a 200 pound guy that would be 200
grams of protein per day. No sweat. So how does this advice fair with
the above current research findings? Well let's see. Being scientists
like to work in kilograms (don't ask me why) we have to do some
converting. A kilogram weighs 2.2lbs. So, 200 divided by 2.2 gives us
90.9. Multiply that times 1.8 (the high end of Dr. Lemon's research) and
you get 163.6 grams of protein per day. What about the nutritionists,
doctors, and others who call(ed) us "protein pushers" all the
while recommending the RDA as being adequate for athletes?
Lets see. The current RDA is 0.8 grams of
protein per kilogram of bodyweight: 200 divided by 2.2 x 0.8 = 73 grams
of protein per day for a 200lb person. So who was closer, the
bodybuilders or the arm chair scientists? Well lets see! 200g (what
bodybuilders have recommended for a 200lb athlete) - 163g ( the high end
of the current research recommendations for a 200lb person) = 37 grams
(the difference between what bodybuilders think they should eat and the
current research).
How do the RDA pushers fair? Hey, if they
get to call us "protein pushers" than we get to call them
"RDA pushers!" Anyway, 163g - 73g = (drum role) 90 grams! So
it would appear that the bodybuilding community has been a great deal
more accurate about the protein needs of strength athletes than the
average nutritionist and I don't think this comes as any surprise to any
of us. So should the average bodybuilder reduce his protein intake a bit
from this data? No, and I will explain why. As with vitamins and other
nutrients, you identify what looks to be the precise amount of the
compound needed for the effect you want (in this case positive nitrogen
balance, increased protein synthesis, etc) and add a margin of safety to
account for the biochemical individuality of different people, the fact
that there are low grade protein sources the person might be eating, and
other variables.
So the current recommendation by the
majority of bodybuilders, writers, coaches, and others of one gram per
pound of bodyweight does a good job of taking into account the current
research and adding a margin of safety. One things for sure, a little
too much protein is far less detrimental to the athletes goal(s) of
increasing muscle mass than too little protein, and this makes the RDA
pushers advice just that much more.... moronic, for lack of a better
word.
There are a few other points I think are important to look at when we
recommend additional protein in the diet of athletes, especially
strength training athletes. In the off season, the strength training
athletes needs not only adequate protein but adequate calories. Assuming
our friend (the 200lb bodybuilder) wants to eat approximately 3500
calories a day, how is he supposed to split his calories up? Again, this
is where the bodybuilding community and the conservative
nutritional/medical community are going to have a parting of the ways...
again. The conservative types would say "that's an easy one, just
tell the bodybuilder he should make up the majority of his calories from
carbohydrates."
Now lets assume the bodybuilder does not
want to eat so many carbs. Now the high carb issue is an entirely
different fight and article, so I am just not going to go into great
depth on the topic here. Suffice it to say, anyone who regularly reads
articles, books, etc, >from people such as Dan Duchaine, Dr. Mauro
Dipasquale, Barry Sears PhD, Udo Erasmus PhD, yours truly, and others
know why the high carb diet bites the big one for losing fat and gaining
muscle (In fact, there is recent research that suggests that
carbohydrate restriction, not calorie restriction per se, is what's
responsible for mobilizing fat stores). So for arguments sake and lack
of space, let's just assume our 200lb bodybuilder friend does not want
to eat a high carb diet for his own reasons, whatever they may be.
What else can he eat? He is only left
with fat and protein. If he splits up his diet into say 30% protein, 30
% fat, and 40% carbs, he will be eating 1050 calories as protein
(3500x30% = 1050) and 262.5g of protein a day (1050 divided by 4 =
262.5). So what we have is an amount (262.5g) that meets the current
research, has an added margin of safety, and an added component for
energy/calorie needs of people who don't want to follow a high carb
diet, hich is a large percentage of the bodybuilding/strength training
community. here are other reasons for a high protein intake such as
hormonal effects (i.e. effects on IGF-1, GH, thyroid ), thermic effects,
etc., but I think I have made the appropriate point. So is there a time
when the bodybuilder might want to go even higher in his percent of
calories >from protein than 30%? Sure, when he is dieting.
It is well established that carbs are
"protein sparing" and so more protein is required as percent
of calories when one reduces calories. Also, dieting is a time that
preserving lean mass (muscle) is at a premium. Finally, as calories
decrease the quality and quantity of protein in the diet is the most
important variable for maintaining muscle tissue (as it applies to
nutritional factors), and of course protein is the least likely nutrient
to be converted to bodyfat. In my view, the above information bodes well
for the high protein diet. If you tell the average RDA pusher you are
eating 40% protein while on a diet, they will tell you that 40% is far
too much protein. But is it? Say our 200lb friend has reduced his
calories to 2000 in attempt to reduce his bodyfat for a competition,
summer time at the beach, or what ever. Lets do the math. 40% x 2000 =
800 calories from protein or 200g (800 divided by 4). So as you can see,
he is actually eating less protein per day than in the off season but is
still in the range of the current research with the margin of
safety/current bodybuilding recommendations intact.
Bottom line? High protein diets are far better for reducing bodyfat,
increasing muscle mass, and helping the hard training bodybuilder
achieve his (or her!) goals, and it is obvious that endurance athletes
will also benefit from diets higher in protein than the worthless and
outdated RDAs.
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