In this article, I would like to touch upon a subject that is one of the most popular ones in the fitness industry. This post focuses on a macronutrient that enjoys a celebrity status in the fitness world and has definitely enjoyed the spotlight for a considerably long time. Yes, I am talking about "PROTEIN"
PROTEIN
The word protein is derived from the Greek word "proteios" which means "primary" or "of prime importance". The name clearly shows how important this macronutrient is for us.
Proteins are essentially bio-molecules that are made up of smaller units called "amino acids" that are linked together to form polypeptide chains.
Protein is present in our skin, hair, callus, cartilage, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Proteins hold together, protect and provide a definitive structure to the body.
From the perspective of health and fitness, there are things about protein that are important for us to understand.
i) Functions
ii) Amino acids
iii) Sources of protein
iv) How much protein to consume?
v) Negative effects of consuming too much protein
i)Functions:
Protein being a macronutrient is a source of energy for the body. In case one's carbohydrate intake is not sufficient, the body resorts to protein to provide energy to the body. However, this is not the prime function of protein. The primary functions of proteins are:
Growth Tissue repair Immune system function Hormone and Enzyme production Lean muscle mass and tone maintenance Regulation of metabolism Maintaining acid balance in body
Since proteins support all these functions, they are called the "building blocks" of our body.
ii)Amino acids:
Just as Proteins are the building blocks of our body, amino acids are the "building blocks of protein".
Amino acids are the structural units that make up proteins. There are 20 natural amino acids that constitute various types of protein in different ratios.
Amino acids are classified into two types:
a)Essential amino acids
b)Non-essential amino acids
This classification does not reflect the importance of the amino acids belonging to each.
Essential amino acids are those that cannot be synthesized by the human body and therefore must be obtained from food
Non-essential amino acids are those that can be synthesized by the human body.
The list of essential and non-essential amino acids are given below:
Essential:
Isoleucine Leucine Valine Lysine Tryptophan Methionine Phenylalanine Threonine
Non-essential:
Alanine Asparagine Glycine Aspartic acid Proline Cysteine Glutamine Glutamic acid Selenocysteine Histidine Taurine Tyrosine Arginine Serine Ornithine
It is crucial for the body to get adequate amounts of each of these amino acids in order for it to function properly.
iii) Sources of protein:
Foods that contain each and every one of the aforementioned essential amino acids are called complete sources of protein.
Foods that lack one or more essential amino acids are called incomplete sources of protein.
This is the single most distinguishing factor between vegetarian and non-vegetarian sources of protein.
All meat and other animal products are sources of complete protein.
For example:
chicken, beef, lamb, pork
poultry, eggs
fish, shellfish
milk and milk products
Vegetarian sources:
Nuts
Soy foods (not recommended as they are toxic and produce estrogen in the body)
Sprouted seeds (each type of sprout differs in nutrient proportions, so eat a variety)
Grains (especially amaranth and quinoa, highest in protein)
Beans and legumes (especially when eaten raw)
All vegetarian sources of protein are incomplete (except for soyabean) and also have less quantity of protein.
This is the prime reason, vegetarians find it difficult to obtain their daily protein needs. However, this doesn't mean that vegetarians cannot build muscle. They merely have to combine various sources to obtain a similar amino acid profile as non-vegetarians do.
Vegetarians are made to believe that it is virtually impossible for them to build quality muscle if they do not consume meat. I do admit, the journey for a vegetarian is much more difficult than for a non-vegetarian but it is certainly not impossible.
This should come as a relief to many of you out there who are vegetarians.
iv)How much protein?:
If you type the question "How much protein is required?" (or any other variation that means the same thing) you will get 98,700,000 results.
This just goes to show how popular this question is.
Of course it is.
In the last 5-10 years, the protein craze has definitely engraved into the minds of just about everyone in the civilized world.
Not only athletes and bodybuilders, but even the couch potato who has never thought once about nutrition knows all too well about protein and how he needs lot of it.
The fitness industry has never for once promoted anything as much as protein. I mean, if you ever ask the guy in the gym who has huge muscles what his secret is, he is definitely going to say "TONS AND TONS OF PROTEIN!"
And the internet just makes it worse.
Bodybuilders, fitness models, athletes, coaches, teenage guys who just started working out and even that fat guy eating McDonalds everyday preach as if they speak the word of the lord - "1 gram protein per pound bodyweight". That phrase itself has 2,650,000 hits in Google search!
To make it worse, Supplement companies. There is no bound to the limits they will push a product, followed by a shot of a beefed up guy holding that whey protein supplement.
What does this do for average guys like you and me?
No good to say the least.
All this misinformation is misleading all of us into thinking that we need to follow what is mindlessly preached.
So I will take this opportunity to address the question of "How much protein is required?" in a holistic and realistic sense.
Let me begin by first stating that the Nutrition itself works on a "SUPPLY AND DEMAND" basis. What this means is that, what we need and how much we need depends on the demands that our body has. Demands that are determined by our workouts, our daily schedule and other small factors in our day-to-day life. So, the claim that we all need one gram of protein per pound bodyweight WAY off track.
The daily protein requirements of an individual depend upon the intensity of exercise they perform. While exercise is considered a relatively small source of energy during exercise when a balanced diet is consumed, research has shown that the greater the intensity of exercise the greater the loss of protein in the urine. So essentially, the greater your workout intensity, the greater your protein needs.
For an average adult who performs little to no exercise in the day, the RDA recommends consuming 0.8 - 1.0 grams per kg bodyweight. This is much lower than 1.0 gram per pound recommendation made by fitness professionals and is appropriate. Because it is just about enough to meet the needs of this particular person.
Athletes on the other hand have higher requirements.
Athletes involved in strength and power type sports like bodybuilding, powerlifting, football or sprinting have even higher dietary protein needs than the endurance athlete to maintain a positive nitrogen balance. 1.25 g per kg per day was recommended as the accepted RDA for strength and power athletes by Lemon et al (1992) and Tarnopolsky. [1]
And its not just the bodybuilders or the strength athletes.
Research indicates that the protein needs of a long distance runner may actually be more than strength athletes and bodybuilders to maintain positive nitrogen balance. This is because endurance athletes excreted more daily urea and therefore suffered greater loss of protein. Lemon et al. (1991) and Dohm (1985) recommend that athletes who engaged in endurance type activities consume approximately 1.5 g per kg per day to maintain positive nitrogen balance. [2]
All of this is in terms of maintaining a positive nitrogen balance i. e making sure protein catabolism does not place and therefore maintaining lean muscle mass.
But how much protein do we need to build muscle?
Now if you are a highly active person who works out intensely in the gym, then you would do well with 2.4 g per kg is more than adequate to help you gain muscle.
A completely wrong notion is equating the rate of muscle growth to the amount of protein consumed. There is no research that proves that higher intakes of more than 2. 4 g/kg/d actually were responsible for improving muscle mass during resistance training.
So please don't assume stuffing down tons of protein is going to help you put on muscle any faster.
Remember, More Protein IS NOT EQUAL TO More Muscle
Keeping aside all this science and research, what you need to understand is that your daily protein needs are not set in stone and depend almost entirely on you and your activity level.
So do not get caught up in generic information.
To simply list it down,
Average adult ==> 0.8 - 1.0 g per kg weight per day
Endurance athlete ==> 1.5 g per kg weight per day
Bodybuilders and strength athletes (muscle maintenance) ==> 1.25 g per kg weight per day
Bodybuilders and strength athletes (muscle gain) ==> 1.9 - 2.4 g per kg weight per day
Remember, protein requirement or Nutrition in general works on a "SUPPLY AND DEMAND" basis. So don't go about supplying if there is no need.
Moving on we shall go to the last part which is: "Negative effects of too much protein"
iv)Negative effects of too much protein:
Now, the reason why I chose to address this topic is because a lot of people who are opposed to the bodybuilding diet keep talking about how protein affects the body negatively.
One of the most famous myths regarding this is the whole "Protein damages kidneys" nonsense.
So I found it necessary to talk about this and clear the air once and for all.
Kidneys are involved in removal of urea. The only study to have ever shown that high protein diets affect the kidney function was done by Brenner et al. (1982). However, these studies were done on patients that already had irregularly functioning kidneys. Therefore, it can not be assumed that people with a normal kidney function will ever have kidney disease or malfunction due to high intakes of dietary protein. Currently, there is no evidence to show that protein intakes in the of 1.76 g/kg/d would contribute to any health problems (Skov AR, 1999). [3]
That being said, lets look into the possible negative effects of consuming high dietary protein:
1)Individuals with liver or kidney problems can be susceptible to adverse reactions due to excess protein. Since the Liver is the major organ involved in protein metabolism and kidney in the excretion of ketones and urea, excessive protein may cause stress in these organs for those people who already have a disorder in them.
2)Consumption of protein is usually accompanied by consumption of saturated fats and cholesterol. Excessive intakes may mean high levels of saturated fats and cholesterol as well, However, this can be avoided easily by choosing lean cuts of meat and by removing the fat around the meat before cooking.
3)High protein diet has a diuretic effect and due to excessive production of ketones and urea, frequent urination is necessary to remove these byproducts from the blood (William, 1999). [4]
As a result, dehydration may occur quickly. Athletes who consume high protein and exercise in hot climates have therefore a greater susceptibility to dehydration. However, this issue can also be avoided by adequate and frequent intake of water.
4)Last but not least, excessive consumption of protein can also lead to fat deposition. Protein is a macronutrient at the end of the day and can be used for energy and/or stored as body fat when consumed in excess. So don't overdo the protein to speed up your results. You may just go in the opposite direction.
There you go. My comprehensive article on Protein.
I hope that you have taken the time to read through the entire article.
This is one area that causes a lot of confusion in people with respect to their diet and is therefore necessary to thoroughly understand.
I assure you, that once you have read and interpreted this article, you will not need to search the internet for information on protein ever again.
Until next time.
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