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Clemson NUTR 2030 - Todays Dietitian Athletes and Protein Intake June 2014(1)

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BY DENSIE WEBB, PHD, RDAthletesProtein IntakeandExperts weigh in on whether the Recommended Dietary Allowance for highly physically active people is adequate22 today’s dietitian june 2014Controversy exists among medical experts regarding the role protein plays in maintaining optimal health. They debate about when to consume it, how much to consume, and what type is best, especially for athletes and highly active people. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein, 0.8 g/kg of body weight per day, is designed to maintain nitrogen balance in the body for the average adult; a negative nitrogen balance indicates that muscle is being broken down and used for energy. (RDAs for protein in children are higher on a gram-per-body-weight basis than for adults. RDAs also are greater for women who are pregnant [1.1 g/kg/day] or lactating [1.3 g/kg/day]).1 While maintaining nitrogen balance is critical for health, studies now suggest that the RDA may not be the amount of protein needed to pro-mote optimal health. To achieve that, they say, more protein is needed, and studies now suggest that athletes, active people, and older individu-als require even more. Dietary proteins are in a constant state of flux in the body, being broken down into amino acids, transformed into other compounds, and sometimes reassembled into other proteins. They also are used for energy, a mecha-nism that increases when energy intake is low or when protein intake is inadequate. Muscle protein then becomes a source of energy, resulting in a negative nitrogen balance. This is a critical concern for athletes, who are regularly involved in energy-demanding activities.It stands to reason then that athletes and active individuals would require more protein, and high-quality proteins, on a daily basis than those who spend their days sitting at a desk in front of a computer screen. (High-quality proteins contain all nine essential amino acids in amounts similar to amino acid requirements; animal proteins are higher quality than plant proteins.) While adequate high-quality protein is critical for good health and optimal athletic performance, the amount needed isn’t the one-size-fits-all recommendation the RDA suggests. Today’s Dietitian spoke with experts to determine the latest protein requirements for athletes and highly active people.How Much Is Enough?While it’s generally accepted that athletes need more protein than sedentary people, recommendations vary significantly depending on the type of athlete, current body weight, total energy intake, whether weight loss or weight gain is the goal, exercise intensity and duration, training status, the quality of the dietary protein, and the individual’s age.2 The general rule of thumb is 1.2 to 1.4 g/kg of body weight for endurance athletes and 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg of body weight for strength and power athletes, says Christopher Mohr, PhD, RD, a nutrition consultant and writer and the co-owner of Mohr Results, a weight-loss company in Louisville, Kentucky. The greater the number of hours in training and the higher the intensity, the more protein is required.2 Other research has recommended as much as 2 g/kg of body weight to prevent muscle loss in athletes who have reduced their energy intake.3,4While physical activity increases protein needs, it also increases the efficiency with which muscles use dietary protein, even in older individuals. One study found that a moderate increase in physical activ-ity among a group of older subjects enhanced the response to protein intake, suggesting that increased exercise may help prevent and treat muscle loss that occurs with aging.5 What about the recreational athlete, otherwise known as the weekend warrior? “The research shows that most people would benefit from added protein, from increased satiety to increased muscle synthesis,” Mohr says. “People generally consume only around 15% to 16% of total calories as protein, so there’s cer-tainly room to increase protein intake.” Some have sug-gested that recreational athletes should aim for daily intakes closer to 1.1 to 1.4 g/kg of body weight per day, 38% to 75% greater than the current RDA.2 Endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, should be in the range of 1.2 to 2 g/kg of body weight, and strength ath-letes, such as weight lifters, should be in the range of 1.4 to 2 g/kg of body weight.2 PROTEIN-RICH FOODS AND SUPPLEMENTS• Beef tenderloin steak, lean only (3.5 oz): 29 g • Salmon (4 oz): 29 g • NOW Pea Protein Powder (33-g scoop): 24 g • Swanson Whey Protein Powder (23-g scoop): 20 g • Solgar Whey to Go Powder (25-g scoop): 20 g • Lentils (1 cup): 18 g• BOOST High Protein Drink (8 oz): 15 g • Greek yogurt (5 oz): 14 g• Kashi GOLEAN cereal (1 cup): 13 g• Skim milk (8 oz): 8 g• Tofu, firm (3.5 oz): 7 g • Egg, large (1 large): 6 g • Beneprotein Instant Protein Powder (7 g scoop): 6 g — SOURCES: REFERENCE 8 AND COMPANY WEBSITESjune 2014 www.todaysdietitian.com 23According to Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD, a sports nutrition counselor and the author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, different protein rec-ommendations aren’t needed for men vs. women. “[They’re] based on grams per kilogram of body weight,” she says. In addition, active people shouldn’t focus on protein alone. “Have protein/carbohydrate combinations, protein to build and repair muscle tissue and carbs to fuel.” The ratio of protein to carbohydrate can vary greatly, depending on protein intake.Unlike endurance training, single sessions of resistance exercise, regard-less of workout length or intensity, don’t appear to increase protein use during the workout itself. However, amino acid uptake after a resistance training session does increase, indicating that the amino acids are being used for muscle repair and construction. Protein utilization appears to be higher for individuals who are less fit. When beginning endurance training, nitrogen balance may be negative for the first two weeks, and protein requirements may be higher in the first week of strength training to support new muscle growth. After one to two weeks of training, however, typically the body adapts and the protein uti-lization decreases. In general, adequate calorie and carbohydrate intake reduces the need for amino acid oxidation for energy and spares dietary protein and muscle tissue. Protein sparing is based on the concept that if adequate energy is consumed from carbohydrate


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