How Much Protein Do Athletes Need? (Part 1)
[Article by Tait Hearps of Sweat Elite]
Protein! A hype word like no other in the health and fitness world. Endless tomes of information and misinformation on the subject lurk out there on the internet, with mud-slinging fights aplenty in any forum you care to look at. There is likely no other dietary component that inspires as much debate, insofar as athletes are concerned, as protein. This article isn’t being published to add more fuel to the fire, and I must warn you that there’s no magical solution proffered in the conclusion. Nutrition is something that different bodies react to in different ways and if someone is trying to bludgeon you with a concrete opinion, it’s probably worth questioning their motives.
Here we take a look at some of the research and recommendations on how much protein athletes should be consuming, and the reasons why. There’s no universal answer but I hope this will provide some interesting points to consider when making dietary choices. Protein is obviously of significance – playing a key role in myriad bodily functions – but figuring out how much, what type and when you should be consuming protein is really quite a confusing undertaking. It’s by no means as simple as protein = gains. I mean, firstly, what is protein?
Protein is made up of chains of molecules called amino acids. Amino acids link together in unique combinations to form each individual protein. Genes in our DNA code for the amino acid sequences that make up the proteins within our own bodies – cell membranes, haemoglobin to transport oxygen, hormones, enzymes, antibodies, muscle fibres – and these amino acids can either be synthesised from other molecules in the body, or must be taken in when we eat.
There are twenty amino acids used by the body, nine of which are “essential”, meaning that the body cannot synthesise them and they must be ingested in our diet. Along with proteins, the other macronutrients include carbohydrates and fats, as well as ketones and alcohol (arguably the least important macronutrient for athletic performance).
So why all the fuss? Protein is essential for survival. But as an athlete optimisation takes precedence. On the back of any packaged food you care to look at each nutrient will be accompanied by figure that is a percentage of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). This figure represents the average daily intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all people (two standard deviations from the mean or 98%). The US RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram, which works out at 56 grams for a 70kg individual. However, this is the amount needed to sustain a relatively sedentary lifestyle. An athlete undergoing serious endurance training is regularly putting their body through strenuous work and therefore has altered requirements.
Not only do athletes incur muscle fibre damage during both endurance and resistance training, amino acids are also oxidised by skeletal muscle during endurance exercise to provide an additional source of fuel. Amino acids contribute between 1-6% of total energy (depending on exercise intensity) in addition to carbohydrates and fats.
So how much does this increase intake requirements? Obviously, this will depend on the level and type of training an individual is undergoing. Research on this topic is ongoing, and it seems a universal consensus remains a long way off. However, a joint position statement released by American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine advises protein intake for endurance-trained athletes to be 1.2–1.4 g protein per kilogram. Some studies suggest even higher intake than this is needed to optimise recovery and performance by endurance athletes.
What emerges when delving into the academic literature on the subject is that – potentially as important as total protein consumption – the timing of ingestion is crucial. Studies indicate that a bolus of protein post-workout can improve recovery and measurements of performance in subsequent sessions. Combining protein with carbohydrates potentiates the restoration of glycogen stores following an endurance run, with a spike of insulin induced by amino acids driving carbohydrates into muscle cells more efficiently. Replenishing glycogen is important for performance in subsequent workouts as this is the predominant substrate for of high-intensity running. This glycogen replenishment is most effective in the half-hour following cessation of exercise.
Further benefits of post-exercise protein feeding include increased muscle protein synthesis and increased satellite cell activity for muscle repair and remodelling. Additionally, studies have found that increased protein in the diet can attenuate some of the diminished immune function seen in high-level endurance athletes during particularly strenuous training and racing periods.
Continue reading: How Much Protein Do Athletes Need (Part 2)
