Proteins

During the process of digestion, the proteins in our food are broken down into their
constituent amino acids that are in turn absorbed by the blood capillaries and transported to
the liver. The amino acids are then synthesized into proteins or stored as fat or glycogen for
energy. Each gram of protein produces approximately 4 Calories. Many proteins function as
enzymes and others:

 Form the structural framework of various parts of the body - Keratin in skin and hair
 Function as hormones - Insulin
 Serve as antibodies
 Transport vital substances throughout the body - hemoglobin
 Serve as contractile elements in muscle tissues - actin & myosin

Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. The formation of protein can result
in dehydration because water molecules are lost as amino acids combine to form more
complex molecules.

The body requires 20 different amino acids of which 8 are referred to as essential amino
acids which cannot be synthesized by the human body. Animals and plants manufacture
proteins that contain these essential amino acids. Non-essential amino acids can be
synthesized by body but this does not mean they are unimportant, they are, it is just that
the body is capable of producing sufficient to meet the demands for growth and tissue
repair. It is therefore important that our diet contain appropriate levels of protein.

The essential Amino Acids (Bean 1993)[1] are: lsoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine,
Phenylaianine, Threonine, Tryptophan and Valine.

The non-essential Amino Acids (Bean 1993)[1] are: Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartic
acid, Cysteine, Clutamic acid, Clutamine, Glycine, Histidine*, Proline, Serine and Tyrosine.

* Histidine is essential for babies but not for adults.

Recommended Protein Intake

Despite the beliefs of many coaches and athletes, eating excessive protein provides little
benefit. Muscle mass does not increase simply by eating high protein foods. Protein intake
significantly above the recommended values can prove harmful because excessive protein
breakdown strains the liver and kidney functions through the production and elimination of
urea and other solutes.

The recommended daily allowance for men and women (McArdle et al. 2000) [2]:

 Adolescent - 0.9 grm of protein per kg body weight

 Adult - 0.8 grm of protein per kg body weight

Training and Protein Needs

Research suggests that protein breakdown increases during and immediately after exercise,
and that protein manufacture slows down at the same time. The more intense the exercise,
the greater your protein breakdown will be, and the greater your needs will become. If you
train to increase muscle mass, your protein needs will be greater still. Extra protein will be
needed not only to compensate for protein breakdown but also for new protein to be made
and for muscle growth. It is important to realise that a high-protein diet alone will not lead
to any increase in strength or muscle size. It is only when it is combined with heavy
resistance exercise that additional protein can cause this to happen.

Research over the past 10 years has indicated that athletes engaged in intense training
need to ingest 1.5 to 2 times the recommended intake in order to maintain a positive
protein balance. Bear in mind that excess protein is converted to fat and stored.

Optimum Protein Nutrition

There is more to protein nutrition than just eating the optimum amount; the timing of
consumption and the type of protein selected can both impact on nitrogen balance; and
there are a number of nutritional 'co-factors' that are either essential or useful in promoting
optimum protein metabolism within the body. This is especially true where carbohydrate is
concerned, because building or even maintaining lean tissue mass is an 'energy-intensive'
process.

Increasing protein intake at the expense of carbohydrate can be a bad strategy for athletes
engaged in heavy training, because without sufficient carbohydrate the body simply
switches to other fuels for energy, and amino acids from protein (particularly the branched
chain amino acids, leucine, isoleucine and valine) provide a ready source of energy!

Muscle tissue is a relatively rich source of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), and tends
to undergo breakdown during periods of high-energy demand, when carbohydrate and/or
the amino acid pool becomes depleted. Furthermore, carbohydrates stimulate the release of
insulin, a highly anabolic hormone, which helps to drive both glucose and amino acids into
muscle cells. Any athlete seeking to optimise his or her protein metabolism should therefore
ensure a carbohydrate intake commensurate with training volume.

The following are some steps you can take to optimise your protein nutrition:

 Ensure an adequate intake of dietary protein - i.e. a minimum of 1.5g of high-quality

protein per kg of body weight per day. Power/strength athletes, or those engaged in
intense training, should consider increasing this to 2g/kg/day
 Ingest protein carbohydrate drinks after exercise rather than protein alone. Ideally,
consume a drink made up of about 1g per kg of carbohydrate and 0.5g per kg of
protein within 30 minutes of training, and eat a high-carbohydrate meal within two
hours
 Consume a light pre-exercise snack: 50g of carbohydrate and 5-10g of protein taken
before a training session can increase carbohydrate availability towards the end of an
intense exercise bout and also increase the availability of amino acids to muscles.
However, make sure your snacks are low in fat to allow for rapid gastric emptying
 Use protein/carbohydrate drinks during very long events: a solution containing 73g
carbohydrate and 18g protein per litre, consumed at a rate of 1ml per kg of body
weight per minute, may delay the onset of fatigue and reduce muscle damage
 Consume quick-digesting proteins such as soy and whey immediately after training:
this may be especially important for older athletes
  At other meals, consume a mix of proteins in order to promote a more sustained
release of amino acids into the body
 Adding branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) to your normal protein intake may be
useful for athletes undergoing prolonged or heavy training, and this may be
particularly true for events/sports requiring large amounts of mental agility and
motor coordination
 HMB supplementation, at 3g per day, may be a useful additional strategy for novice
athletes, or those returning to training after a layoff (HMB is a leucine metabolite)
 Ensure that your overall diet is of high quality and as whole and unprocessed as
possible: this will ensure adequate intakes of other nutrients essential for protein
metabolism, such as zinc and B vitamins

Source of Protein

Proteins that contain all the essential amino acids in approximately the right proportions for
your body's requirements are sometimes called 'high-biological-value' proteins. These are
found in foods that are derived from animals: meat, fish, eggs, milk and dairy products