The Importance of PROTEIN
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The Importance of PROTEIN |
The word "protein" is
derived from the Greek word "protos", which means "first",
respectively "proteion", which means " the first
place". Proteins rightfully deserve this name, as they are
the most fundamental components of all living cells. Consisting
of chains of amino acids, proteins are a necessary part of the human
diet and are supplied especially by such foods as meat, milk, eggs
and legumes. |
Proteins make up nearly half of the
dry weight of the human body and are constantly being replaced.
With the exception of the water component, protein represents 98%
- 99% of the skeletal muscles. Research indicates that exercise
of either long duration, high volume or high-intensity increases
the protein requirements of athletes; in fact athletes may require
between 23 and 178 percent more protein than average people ! The
longer or harder an athlete trains, the more important dietary protein
becomes to maximizing the muscles' repair and building process.
As training breaks down muscle proteins, muscles require protein
intake to be used for repair and rebuilding. When there is not sufficient
protein available for these processes, exercise will keep continuously
breaking down muscle tissue, and the athlete will end up losing
valuable muscle rather than building it! This known as being in
a "catabolic state." Weight-training athletes who considerably increased
their intake of dietary protein were able to improve strength, muscular
hardness and percentage of lean body mass. This increase of lean
mass brings about an increase in the body's metabolism, which is
the most important aspect in achieving and maintaining a healthy,
lean physique. After all, bigger muscles burn more calories all
day long than little muscles, whether during exercise or at rest!
Endurance athletes are also well advised to increase
their protein intake, as prolonged aerobic exercise can burn amino
acids after the body uses up its stored glycogen (gluconeogenesis).
In the event that there are not enough amino acids derived from
dietary proteins circulating in the blood, the body has no other
choice than acquiring the needed amino acids through breaking down
muscle tissue, thus cannibalizing itself. Dietary protein is, however, not only vital for
the repair of existing tissue levels, the synthesis of new tissue
and used as an alternative source of energy during periods of intense
stress, injury and caloric deficiency. The amino acids, derived
from ingested dietary proteins, are in fact also essential for the
synthesis of other amino acids as well as hormones, neurotransmitters,
enzymes and other biochemicals and -last, but not least - also of
utmost importance for the optimal functioning of the immune system!!!
Protein deficient athletes can expect such conditions
as tiredness, reduced energy, weakness, mental depression, lowered
resistance to infections and disease, slower healing of injuries
and prolonged recovery from exercise. As whole-food sources of protein
are often high in fat and additionally place high demands on the
digestive system, it is important to understand that it is virtually
impossible for any athlete to make optimum progress without the
steady use of a quality protein supplement. The current RDA (recommended Dietary Allowance)
is only approximately 0.8 g protein per kg of body-weight for adults,
but this figure does not take the increased protein needs of athletes
versus sedentary individuals into account. While the protein requirement
of 0.8 g per kg of body-weight of inactive individuals is not difficult
to meet by merely consuming whole food sources of protein, it becomes
quite hard for individuals with an active to satisy their higher
protein needs without some form of supplementation. How much protein such a person actually needs depends
on the level of activity and the intensity of training. Experiments
have shown that the actual protein needs of most athletes are at
least between 1.6 and 1.8 g per kg of body-weight per day. Competitive
bodybuilders, especially when training intensely under the influence
of anabolic agents, may even benefit from protein intakes of more
than 2.5 kg per kg of body-weight per day. Although there is no official scientific evidence
that you can't meet all your protein needs for muscle growth through
food, this is certainly no easy task. Being serious about your work-out
and your physical development means you have to eat a meal every
three hours; each of these meals must contain a complete protein
such as egg-whites, lean meat, chicken or dairy products. While
it may not be completely impossible to ingest the necessary amounts
of protein in the form of whole food, it certainly takes careful
meal planning and quite some time and effort to prepare all these
meals and eat them! It is certainly much easier to prepare and drink
a protein shake than cook and eat poultry, fish or egg whites every
three hours. Not to forget, the stress that protein foods like these
cause to the digestive system. It takes several hours to digest
beef or chicken, which means that your muscles and all your other
physiological systems need to wait that long for the urgently needed
amino acids to fulfill their vital functions. A high-quality protein shake, on the other hand,
provides all important amino acids to your body only minutes after
consumption. Whey protein supplements ( 80 - 90 % whey protein concentrate/isolate
mixtures are best ) are called "fast -acting," as they
excel in providing high amounts of branched chain amino acids to
your muscles faster than any other protein supplement. The fast
supply of amino acids is of particular importance immediately after
an intense work-out session. By then the blood flow to your muscles
is still high and your muscles are especially receptive to nutrients;
supplying them with the necessary amino acids right then ensures
optimum recovery and growth. Another disadvantage of getting all your protein
from whole food sources is that you can't help ingesting a certain
amount of saturated fat and cholesterol, which any serious athlete
must try to avoid. (The dietary fat intake of athletes should exclusively
consist of unsaturated fats like olive oil, flaxseed oil, or sunflower
oil.) A high-quality protein shake on the other hand usually contains
up to 90-95 % protein in its purest form and only little (if any)
fat, cholesterol or lactose! Thus it allows you to get your necessary
protein without the fat and unwanted calories, and the absence of
lactose makes it an ideal source of protein for lactose intolerant
people. Last, but not least, it is important to realize
that intact dietary proteins from whole foods are generally less
bio-available ( bio-availability refers to how much protein of a
certain food our body can actually utilize ) than quality protein
supplements, even though both may contain the same amounts of amino
acids. Therefore a diet based on traditional sources of protein
may provide an adequate intake, but may yet not be as effective
as one that includes a quality protein supplement like a whey concentrate/isolate
or soy isolate. Other quality protein supplements include casein-based
protein powders ( the "other" milk protein aside from
whey ) and protein powders manufactured from egg whites. Unfortunately
casein has a negative effect on one's cholesterol profile and egg
white protein does not only taste badly, but also contains about
10% carbohydrates. Christoph Klueppel Master of Fitness Sciences For more articles and information on Christoph Klueppel please
visit his website on www.universalfitnessthailand.com |
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