Protein 101
Intense exercise causes all manner of damage and demolition to muscle and other cells and systems in the body responsible for immune function, energy metabolism. Your intake of protein must be sufficient to affect repair of this damage on almost a daily basis. Even though protein does have an energy yield of 4 calories per gram it is not to be considered an energy source in the athletic diet. Protein’s job is to repair, rebuild and replenish.
Athletes do need a bit more protein than the average sedentary person to quickly repair the extensive damage done to the body at the cellular level during exercise. It is generally accepted that protein supplementation can function to assist the repair processes but does not have an ergogenic effect on performance. Protein needs for active people can range from 0.8 (recreational) to 1.5 (elite) grams/kilogram of body weight/day and meeting these needs from your normal diet is really easy if you make good food choices and pay close attention to what you eat.
During digesting, dietary protein is broken down into its contingent amino acids that are then absorbed into the blood stream and distributed throughout the body where they are needed. Amino acids are metabolized and used by the body to build organic structures like hormones, enzymes, tissue, immune system antibodies and muscle cells. There are 20 amino acids that your body uses to produce the proteins needed to keep your body healthy.
Protein molecules are not stored in the body like carbohydrates and fat. This means that when repair work needs to be done that day it has to be supported by either your food intake before, during and after training or the amino acids released from the breakdown of protein somewhere in the body. Sometimes we eat more protein than we need excess amino acids are converted into carbohydrate or fat and stored for later use but this is not a good reason to bulk up on your intake.
The best sources of dietary protein are lean beef, skinless chicken, and fish will provide an average of 7 grams of protein per ounce. Many beans and legumes as well as rice and other grains provide 3-6 grams per 4 ounce serving. Daily products are an excellent source of protein with milk or yogurt supplying about 8 grams of protein serving.
Many athletes are unsure of their particular protein requirements. The average category 3 road racer, weighting 70 kilos (154 lbs), requires between 90 and 100 grams of protein per day to maintain a healthy body capable of responding favorably to training. If you were wanting to gain weight, you would probably want a higher daily protein intake. The list below demonstrates that this can be easily accomplished with a normal diet. All of these foods supply other macronutrients along with protein that are essential to a sound athletic diet making protein supplementation unnecessary.
Sports nutrition is a very mysterious science but there are a few things we do know about vital role protein and its contingent amino acids play in nutrition, energy metabolism and overall health.
* Protein and amino acids are among the most common nutritional supplements taken by athletes demonstrating the success of sports nutrition marketing.
* There are definite downsides to excessive protein intake. High levels of protein, 25%-30%, act as an appetite suppressant. You can see the obvious problem for the endurance athlete who has a strong dependence on dietary carbohydrate for energy. Decreased carbohydrate intake results in chronic glycogen depletion, diminished performance and a serious health risk.
* Dietary supplementation of protein beyond the levels necessary to support the organic health of your body does not provide any ergogenic performance benefits for athletes.
* Ingesting carbohydrate along with protein, a ration of 4:1, following exercise does enhance muscle glycogen uptake and promote a more anabolic hormonal environment for the repairing the damaged to tissue and cells.
* Certain amino acids, like arginine have a positive effect on energy metabolism by stimulating the release of insulin and assisting the uptake of muscle glycogen.
* Some branch-chain amino acids (amino acid molecules linked together) like glutamine lend valuable support to the immune by fueling white blood cells to help fight off infection and reverse the effects of stress on your body.
Personal Commentary
Almost every rider I have ever coached has been curious about supposed performance enhancing supplements. With few exceptions, my recommendations have always been the same. Educate yourself about the basics of food, energy sources and performance nutrition and craft a simple and sensible eating plan that meets your needs.
I am not a big fan of all the highly touted, expensive performance supplements being marketed to the masses of unsuspecting and uninformed athletes. Study after study had failed to produce any hard science to support the claims of the companies. There are plenty of testimonials from champion athletes who frankly would be able to perform at the same level without these supplements because of their genetic gift. If a professional rider is using a supplement and telling the public it is because they are getting paid to.
A few years back I had a teammate who was hooked on some very expensive sports nutrition products and claimed that without them he would be no more than pack fodder. Toward the end of the season the company went out of business driving my friend into a panic. He asked me what he should do. I told him to go to the store, load up his fridge and cupboards with good wholesome food, learn how to eat better on the bike and he would be OK. Left with no choice he took the $200 a month he was spending on all his pills, potions and powders and went shopping. He is still racing and doing just fine.
So, keep your diet simple and balanced. Your body responds better to real food and it is always available no matter where you are. For the bike, find an energy drink you like, mix it up with bars and gels and other solid foods and use Endurox R4 religiously and you will be fine. Save your money and spend it on something really worthwhile like coaching or a trip to nationals or attending a cycling training camp.