THE PROTEIN CRAZE…HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH

BY: FITZ-GEORGE RATTRAY

Protein supplements have been the foundation of bodybuilding supplementation for decades, once found on a dedicated shelf in the back of a few pharmacies, or in very specialized vitamin or health stores.  In just the last 12 years however protein supplement sales have rocketed from 200 or so million per annum to in excess of 8 BILLION today.

In a clear attempt to widen their market the industry has jumped on studies showing that after the age of 30 people automatically lose as much as 3 to 5% of muscle mass each decade, a condition known as age related sarcopenia.  This is truly a debilitating condition with many dangerous and possibly agonizing outcomes.

THE PROTEIN CRAZE

The protein supplementation industry’s efforts have worked. Now there are shelves of protein powders, bars, drinks and more to be found in pharmacies, supermarkets, shops, wholesales, online and as always, the vitamin and health food stores.

Increasingly nutritionists, coaches, trainers, bloggers, vloggers and sales people are telling the public how important protein is, how much they are lacking protein and how much they need protein.  Consequently people are hunting protein like pigs hunting truffles.

IS INCREASING YOUR DIETARY PROTEIN THE STAND ALONE SOLUTION TO AGE RELATED SARCOPENIA AND OTHER LOW MUSCLE ISSUES?

A balanced diet of three servings of protein per day is sufficient for the average sedentary person. 

Increasing protein or protein powders in your daily diet alone is not the answer to increased muscle mass, as we find recommended by trainers year after year.  Suggesting that ingesting additional protein, will increase your nitrogen balance and the protein will go to your muscles and other tissues where they are needed and make them fuller, stronger and healthier is ludicrous. 

Skeletal muscle increases in size and strength by a process called muscular hyportrophy, and the way to achieve this is through physical activity which challenges the muscle fibers enough to stimulate them to maintain or grow.

Even if you appear slight and feeble and lacking sufficient muscularity without the proper increase in physical activity you are will not be improving your muscular function, look and feel unless you do the work.

PROTEIN HAS SOME IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Proteins have CALORIES, the same per gram of sugars and carbohydrates,
• Excess protein is not expelled like excess water or excess water soluble vitamins
• Excess unutilized protein will be converted and saved in your energy stores
• The excess nitrates left over from this conversion process will be expelled through your kidneys and may eventually cause kidney damage
• These energy stores mentioned above if unused will present an increase in your body fat
• Protein is not a magic macro nutrient which will bond where you would like it to, it will and can only go where it is needed to manage wear, tear, recovery and maintenance.  If you want increased muscularity and the accompanying strength, look and health, make the necessary healthy physical activity a part of your regular routine.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU REALLY NEED?

There are precise ways of determining this but as an easily calculatable rule of thumb, your protein requirements are in direct relation to your weight and activity.

To maintain the needed positive nitrogen balance, the recommended daily adult allowance of protein ingestion needed to maintain and promote functional skeletal muscle retention and strength is, with:

• Sedentary or minimal activity – 0.8 grams (g) per kilogram (kg) body weight (BW) (roughly .5 grams per pound)
• Moderate physical activity – 1.0 to 1.6 g per kg BW (roughly .5 to .7g per pound)
• Intense physical activity – 2.0 g per kg BW (roughly 1g per pound)
• Highly intense physical activity – 3.5 g per kg BW is considered the tolerable upper limit (roughly 1.6 g per pound)

So for a minimally active person weighing 160 pounds, your protein requirement is roughly 80 grams per day. One chicken thigh is roughly 25 grams of protein, and one egg is roughly 15 grams of protein.  80 grams of protein is equivalent of two eggs and two chicken thighs.

This person clearly does not need additional protein in their diet, and assuming the diet has enough calories in total, the additional protein will simply become a part of their fat stores.

However if the same individual were to become intensely active, exercising one to two hours per day their requirement may double, and only then would it be recommended to increase their protein intake.

Working to maintain and increase your skeletal muscle strength, size and ability is beyond important for your health, ambulatory state, pain management, balance, joint preservation and safety.  But only blindly packing in protein products may do more harm than good.  There is no easy fix, get intelligently active, make it a routine, and understand your true requirements. This will go a far way towards achieving the healthier happier life you imagine for yourself.