How Much Protein

 Protein: How Much do Athletes Really Need?

Protein

Carbohydrates fuel athletic performance; that's why so many marathoners fill up on pasta the night before a big race. Protein, however, is a more complicated matter. Compared to carbohydrates and fat, dietary protein provides little energy during exercise—it's estimated that amino acids in protein provide only 5 to 15 percent of exercise fuel. But those amino acids build the protein in muscle (as well as blood, tissues, hair, skin, and nails). Therefore, many athletes believe they need to eat tons of the stuff to bulk up or achieve optimal stamina and performance. And high-protein diets and protein supplements promise to do just that. But the question remains. Do weight lifters, endurance athletes—or garden-variety exercisers—really need more protein than your typical La-Z-Boy lounger?

The simple answer is yes. Athletes need more protein because they put more stress on their bodies. The muscle growth and tissue repairs that accompany exercise require protein. And protein's amino acids are crucial to many physical processes involved in exercise. For example, some amino acids influence hormones and neurotransmitters that play a role in athletic fatigue and performance. An athlete—or anyone else, for that matter—who doesn't eat enough high-quality protein will feel weak and lethargic and will be more susceptible to colds and other ailments.

However, that doesn't mean athletes need protein supplements or a super-high-protein regime. Most people, athletes included, already get more than enough protein from their diets. The RDA for protein for sedentary adults is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight, or about 42 grams of protein for someone who weighs 130 pounds. Health experts say that at maximum, athletes may require 0.55 to 0.73 grams per pound. So a 130-pound athlete who works out strenuously would probably need about 94 grams at most. When you consider that the average woman eats 64 grams of protein daily, and the average man 92, and that athletes generally eat more calories and thus more protein than average, it's clear there's not a big protein gap to be filled.

 On the other hand, Professional Bodybuilder will say the requirements for building solid lean muscles are 1 1/2 - 2 grams per pound. I say, for men 1 gram per pound and women 0 .75 grams per pound. It all depends on the person, their digestion system, training, and goals. Athletes who do need to up their protein intake can easily do so by eating more protein-rich foods.

Protein's not hard to find—a 3-ounce serving of beef contains about 30 grams. A cup of yogurt contains 10 or 11 grams. A half-cup of tofu contains 8 to 10 grams. Peanut butter has 4 grams per tablespoon. For the most part, only athletes who don't consume enough calories—and have the painfully thin bodies to prove it—don't get sufficient protein from their diet. Also see Protein Intake

 Whey protein ranks highest in all measures of protein quaility. Our extremely popular protein is manufactured with domestic Grade A Milk and is low temperature processed to preserve the biologically active microfractions. Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey is also concentrated, ultrafiltered and isolated using ion exchange and crossflow microfiltration to remove nearly all of the cholesterol and lactose making it ideal for low-fat and low carbohydrate diets.

How Much is too Much?

Consuming more protein won't make your muscles grow faster. Exercising your muscles is the only way to make them grow. If you consume more protein than you need for tissue repair and other body functions, the excess will be burned as fuel, stored, or expelled. None of these is highly desirable. Unlike carbohydrates and fat, protein is not an efficient form of body fuel. Your body has to expend more energy to break down protein because its structure is more complex. Protein that's not burned as fuel may be converted to fat and stored in adipose tissue (where it will make you fatter, not more muscular). Protein that's not used as fuel or stored in the body is eliminated, and that causes its own problems. Excess amino acids are converted into urea, a nitrogen-containing waste product that puts a strain on your kidneys.

So protein overload is not a desirable thing. But protein supplements do have their place. If you find it hard to consume adequate calories and thus adequate protein, there's no harm in supplementing, as long as you don't overdo it. Supplements made with soy and whey are easily absorbed and utilized and provide good-quality protein. But before you choose a protein powder, compare the amount of protein per tablespoon to that of a high-protein food. If you're not getting at least an equal amount of protein from the supplement, you're doing neither your wallet nor your muscles any favor.

Take a closer look at the pros and cons of various kinds of protein supplements—free-form amino acids, peptides, whey, soy, branched chain amino acids, and more.