TAKE PROTEINS
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The answers to your questions about protein, the key element in an athlete's nutrition program.
Protein, from the Greek word for "vitally important," is a key component of the athlete's nutrition weight loss program. Just as glucose serves as the cornerstone of glycogen, amino acids serve as building blocks for proteins. One of the most important components of cells, the protein is involved in the formation of contractile tissue or muscle, which constitutes a large part of the structural component of cells, it is part of the enzymes, antibodies, in the blood. . . whatever, protein is part of it.
Despite the fact that the primary function of the protein is to provide the amino acids necessary to maintain an anabolic state, it can also be used as a fuel source. This generally occurs to a greater degree when you are in a carbohydrate-depleted state (for example, on a low carbohydrate diet, exercising continuously for more than two hours). However, what most athletes want is to maintain the highest absolute levels of anabolism or muscle building possible. The way scientists measure this is through something called the nitrogen balance.
Remember that one of the components of protein is the nitrogen molecule. In fact, nitrogen makes up about 16% protein. So when you eat protein, you are also taking in nitrogen. If you want to put on muscle, you should avoid a negative nitrogen balance, where you take in less protein that breaks it down. There is a positive nitrogen balance when your protein intake is greater than protein breakdown.
How Much Protein Should Athletes Consume?
Talk about a controversial topic! I have met many doctors and dietitians who claim that "too much" protein is harmful. However, Pedro WR Lemon, PhD, a leading expert in the field of protein and exercise research from the Applied Physiology Research Laboratory at Kent State University in Ohio, believes the dangers of eating a diet high in Proteins are overrated.
I agree. No scientific evidence indicates that consuming two or even three times the Recommended Daily Intake (RDA) of protein is harmful to a normal, healthy person and exercising.
Certainly, if you have damaged the kidneys, then the work you have to do to remove excess nitrogen would make it advisable to avoid excess protein. But I haven't found any evidence that eating 1 or more grams of protein per pound of body weight each day has a detrimental effect. In fact, in cultures where high protein intake is common, there is no evidence that the population suffers from kidney problems. The same could be said for athletes, although I would warn you that if you consume a large amount of protein, you should also drink plenty of water to avoid possible dehydration.
Suffice it to say that the recommended daily dose of 0.8 grams of protein for every 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of body weight per day is very insufficient for athletes and athletes in general. Although muscle protein breakdown or breakdown increases during exercise, muscle protein synthesis increases significantly for at least 24 hours after resistance or resistance exercise. If you don't get enough protein during this time, it would make sense that you probably won't grow or get stronger. Current research suggests that 1.5 to 2.0 grams of protein per 2.2 pounds of body weight per day is needed for people interested in packing on some dough.
What type of protein should you eat?
Basically, the protein that you eat should have all the complement of essential amino acids (which are called essential because you have to eat, your body doesn't make them). They include branched chains (valine, leucine, isoleucine), lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, and tryptophan. Histidine is also essential for children, and arginine for children, who cannot do as well as adults. The body produces cysteine from methionine and tyrosine from phenylalanine, so you could say that cysteine and tyrosine are conditionally essential. Incomplete proteins, like that of peanuts, do not contain the necessary balance of all essential amino acids.
Scientists compare the quality of protein sources through the Biological Value (BV), which measures the amount of protein retained per gram of protein absorbed. If a given protein provides all the essential amino acids in the correct proportions and is easily absorbed, its VB score will approach 100. On the other hand, if the protein is deficient in an essential amino acid, its VB score will be much lower.
Before the widespread use of whey protein, the sources of protein with the highest BV (and which were used to establish the BV scale) were whole egg and human milk (BV = 100). Whey protein has a BV of around 159, even higher than whole eggs. Not only does whey protein help put on muscle, but this has powerful effects on the immune system. In fact, a study by R. Kennedy, et al, found that whey protein helped stabilize or reverse tumor growth in patients with metastatic carcinoma.
When should you eat protein?
The underlying mechanisms that govern muscle growth are not known at this time, but we do know this: In order to experience net growth in muscle mass, muscle anabolism must overcome muscle catabolism. That is, what you need to feed your muscles with amino acids, glucose and fat to get them as big as your rottweiler. Is that why athletes eat constantly? To bathe your muscle cells in an anabolic cocktail of amino acids and other muscle building blocks?
Based on various animal studies, scientists have suggested that muscle protein increases synthesis within 1-2 hours after exercise. In rats, just one session of eccentric exercise has been shown to raise total rates of mixed synthetic and myofibrillar proteins by as much as 65% for up to 41 hours.
In a recent study conducted at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, JD MacDougall and colleagues used six trained men to examine how protein synthesis impacts weight training. Test subjects performed a "typical" bodybuilding workout and, using technology not available at their local gym, the synthesis of biceps brachii muscle protein was determined four, 24, and 36 hours after exercise. The researchers found that muscle protein synthesis increased at four and 24 hours after exercise, but returned to pre-exercise levels after 36 hours after exercise.
The finding that muscle protein synthesis is elevated for one day after exercise is important. I have heard many times that muscles grow when you are not exercising, especially when you sleep.
But how much protein should you eat at one time, and how often should you eat? There are several schools of thought on the amount of protein to eat in one sitting. Anecdotally based on what I've seen work well for many people, it appears that 30 to 40 grams of protein at a time is sufficient. I have heard accounts of athletes consuming up to three times that amount, but have not seen data indicating whether that amount is necessary or beneficial. As for how often you eat protein, I would have to say that every three hours. Your digestive system is able to process proteins relatively frequently, and maintaining a constant supply on hand (or stomach, as the case may be) ensures that your muscles will have access to the necessary raw materials to synthesize new tissue.