Aashish Shah English 1102-100 Professor Ingram Final Draft Multi-Genre Project Part I-Personal Letter Due Ma!

1st" 201# Dear $arsh" As !ou start !our journe! into the %on&ers of high school" !ou %ill meet man! ne% 'eo'le" tr! a (ariet! of ne% things" an& start to ac)uire a &ifferent lifest!le" *oth 'h!sicall! an& mentall!+ I un&erstan& that in the coming months !ou %ill *e tr!ing out for the Pro(i&ence $igh School foot*all team" 'articularl! for the 'osition of %i&e recei(er+ ,his 'osition %ill not onl! re)uire !ou to ha(e inanimate s'ee&" agilit!" an& goo& han&s" *ut also in(ol(e !ou to ha(e a &ecent amount of muscle an& strength+ -no%ing that !ou are (egetarian" the i&ea of eating meat to gain a&e)uate amounts of 'rotein &oes not seem 'ro*a*le" therefore !ou %ill ha(e to &o some hea(! %eight lifting" an& rel! on 'rotein su''lements in or&er to gain the 'ro'er amounts of muscle mass+ .eing as !oung as !ou are" ta/ing 'rotein su''lements might not *e the *est %a! to gain muscle mass an& strength+ M! 'ur'ose in this letter is to let !ou /no% *oth the 'ros an& cons of ta/ing 'rotein su''lements" ho% the! can affect !our *o&!" *ut most im'ortantl! some eas! alternati(es that can hel' !ou attain the same e&ge in !our athletic a*ilities %hile allo%ing !ou to gain the muscle an& strength nee&e& to 'la! foot*all at an elite le(el+ Foot*all is a s'ort that re)uires a lot of 'h!sical fitness+ Strength is just one of the main com'onents foot*all 'la!ers nee& in or&er to *e successful an& great athletes an& most times this is the har&est as'ect of the game to &e(elo'+ As !ou ma! or ma! not /no%" most high school athletes *egin ta/ing %hate(er su''lements that the! hear a*out or can get their han&s on )uic/ *ecause the! %ant to get tone& an& *uilt in the shortest an& easiest %a! 'ossi*le+ As !ou alrea&! /no%" nothing in life can *e that eas!" an& one of the main 'rotein su''lement t!'es that is hea(il! a*use& is 0reatine+ 0reatine is a

chemical formula that athletes ta/e on a regular *asis *efore an& after %or/ing out+ 0reatine allo%s for !our muscles to 1s%ell2 an& fill u' %ith %ater %hich in the long run can 'ro(e to *e )uite &etrimental+ ,a/ing 'rotein at a !oung age has 'ro(en to 'ro(i&e the 'ro'er nutrients nee&e& for the *uil&ing of long term muscle mass an& man! stu&ies ha(e sho%n 'ositi(e results for athlete3s that continue to ta/e 'rotein throughout their teen !ears an& %hile 'la!ing a s'ort at o'timal le(els+ $a(ing sai& this" a stu&! %as con&ucte& *! se(eral &octors from $ar(ar& 4ni(ersit! a*out the a&(erse affects of ta/ing 'rotein su''lements *efore an& after %or/ing out+ ,hese are some of the conclusions that these researchers an& &octors foun& ,he article states that 'rotein acts as a major *uil&ing *loc/ in strengthening muscles" *ones" s/in" an& other tissues+ ,he majorit! of athletes that use these 'rotein sha/es ta/e those that contain o'timal amounts of car*oh!&rates an& fats+ .! con&ucting multi'le stu&ies regar&ing the effects of 'rotein on the *o&!" a lot of the results are t!'ical an& ma/e sense+ For instance" *! ta/ing 'rotein su''lements *efore an& after %or/ing out" the *o&! is *etter a*le to reco(er from intense e5ercise" restore gl!cogen le(els in muscles" %hich 'ro(i&e energ! for mo(ement" as %ell as 'ro(i&e a fuel source so that ma5imum 'otentials can *e reache& &uring a set %or/out+ Protein sha/es" if ta/en in mo&eration" can also hel' to re'air *ro/en or scarre& tissue an& muscle cells locate& in the sarcolemma or marro% of a *one+ ,he article also hel's to highlight ho% much 'rotein an acti(e in&i(i&ual shoul& consume as %ell as the &ifferent t!'es of 'roteins a(aila*le to those loo/ing to gain mass+ Accor&ing to $ar(ar& Me&ical School researchers" the o'timal amount of 'rotein that shoul& *e ta/en in one &a! ranges an!%here from #6-67g a &a!+ ,he article hel's to em'hasi8e the im'ortance of %or/ing out e5tensi(el! if !ou are loo/ing to she& fat an& gain muscle mass+ 9ithout %or/ing out an& *urning off calories" the 'rotein that !ou inta/e %ill ha(e no nutritional affect an& can e(en harm !ou in multi'le %a!s+ ,his 'articular article also highlights some of the main ingre&ients or 'ro&ucts that are inclu&e& in a lot of 'rotein sha/es+ ,hese inclu&e mil/" %he!" egg" so!" rice" an& man! other *eneficial ingre&ients+ As e(i&ent a lot of these ingre&ients ha(e e5cellent amounts of calcium" 'otassium" (itamins . an& D" an& other essential elements that 'romotes a health! *o&! as %ell as a health!

lifest!le+ Lastl!" this article uses the t%o main t!'es of 'rotein to illustrate the &irect 'ositi(e effect that 'rotein inta/e has on the *o&!+ ,he t%o t!'es inclu&e %he! an& casein 'rotein+ 9he! 'rotein is fast a*sor*ing &irectl! into the *loo&stream" it remains in the *o&! a short time after it is consume&" an& is an e5cellent %a! to rela5 an& re*uil& the atro'hie& muscle after an intense %or/out+ 0on(ersel!" casein 'rotein is the main 'rotein in most mil/ t!'es" it is slo% a*sor*ing in the *loo&stream" an& usuall! is an e5cellent meal su*stitute or re'lacement to *e ta/en *efore !ou go to slee'+ As e(i&ent" each 'rotein t!'e ser(es to satisf! multi'le *o&! t!'es an& can *e use& for multi'le 'ur'oses as %ell as multi'le t!'es of athletes+ Different 'eo'le see/ to get &ifferent results from their %or/out" an& %or/out su''lements such as %he! an& casein 'rotein hel's to accommo&ate these &ifferent re)uirements+ A com'letel! &ifferent t!'e of 'rotein is so! 'rotein+ ,his 'rotein e5tracte& from multi'le 'lant sources has a lot of antio5i&ants in their mi5tures" an& is also ta/en as a meal re'lacement usuall! ta/en *efore !ou go to slee'+ -no%ing %h! 'rotein su''lements are goo& for !ou an& ho% the! affect !our athletic 'erformance 'ositi(el! is al%a!s a goo& thing" *ut it is also im'ortant to un&erstan& the negati(es for a 'ro&uct" that %a! !ou can ma/e the *est &ecision *ase& on %hat a''eals to !ou+ ,hrough m! research 'rocess" I foun& man! negati(es to ta/ing 'rotein su''lements that I coul& not *elie(e *ut the! ma/e a lot of sense+ Since !ou are consi&ering ta/ing these su''lements at a !oung age" !ou shoul& es'eciall! ta/e into account these factors an& see if the long term effects are those that !ou %ant to ta/e ris/ or are acce'ta*le to !our stan&ar&s+ Although some of the follo%ing facts ma! *e a *it far-fetche&" &o not &isregar& an! of them" $arsh" an& ta/e each one se'aratel!" anal!8e them" an& reall! thin/ a*out %hat the argument is sa!ing+ ,his stu&! *! the %a! %as con&ucte& *! 0arl! Schuna of the Du/e School of Me&icine" an& %ill allo% !ou to loo/ at the future effects of ta/ing 'rotein su''lements (ersus those of tem'orar! effects+ ,he arguments are as follo%s Accor&ing to the article" consuming 'rotein sha/es on the regular can contri*ute to an unhealth! an& un*alance& &iet+ ,he reason *eing that increasing the amount of 'rotein that !ou consume can act as a su*stitution for i&ealistic nutrients" (itamins an& other

macromolecules that are /e! to a health! lifest!le+ ,a/ing 'rotein su''lements also increases the ris/ of &igesti(e 'ro*lems *! significantl! lo%ing one3s &ail! fi*er inta/e %hich can lea& to &iseases li/e consti'ation" colitis" an& &i(erticulitis+ Instea& of focusing mainl! on 'rotein to *uil& mass" the article states that 'ro*iotics li/e !ogurt can 'ro&uce the same affects %hile 'ro&ucing less harm to !our stomach+ For most 'eo'le" their moti(e for ta/ing 'rotein su''lements is to *ul/-u'" gain muscle mass" an& *ecome more tone& an& 'h!sicall! fit+ ,his article states that if !ou ta/e 'rotein *! itself %ithout %or/ing out an& %or/ing !our muscles an& *ones that !ou can actuall! gain mass that %ill *e in the form of fat+ ,his is a huge misconce'tion that 'eo'le ha(e es'eciall! *ecause the! thin/ that *ecause the! are su*stituting a meal an& ta/ing a high 'rotein &ose that their %eight %ill *e she& into 'ure muscle+ ,he article suggests to ta/e a 'rotein su''lement as a meal re'lace once a &a! an& re&uce the o(erall calorie count in the ne5t meal that %a! !our o(erall inta/e remains *alance&+ Lastl! an& most im'ortantl!" the article states that increase& 'rotein inta/e can 'ro(i&e groun&s for /i&ne! an& heart 'ro*lems+ Stu&ies ha(e sho%n that multi'le high-'rotein su''lements also contain high le(els of saturate& fats an& cholesterol as %ell as an increase in trigl!ceri&es+ Since the *o&! is also not a*le to catal!8e" or *rea/ &o%n immense amounts of 'rotein at one time" this can also cause harm to the li(er an& /i&ne!s %hich can result in /i&ne! or li(er failure or the 'ossi*ilit! of *eing 'lace& on &ial!sis or life su''ort+ $arsh" no% that !ou /no% the 'ositi(es an& negati(es of using 'rotein su''lements !ou ha(e to ma/e the *est &ecision that is going to hel' !ou *ecome the most successful *oth on an& off the fiel&+ As an! e5'ert %ill tell !ou" there are (arious alternati(es that can hel' !ou achie(e the same goals an& le(el of fitness as that if !ou too/ 'rotein su''lements+ ,hese alternati(es inclu&e lifting %eights" &oing 'h!sical fitness &rills" an& eating the right amounts of saturate& an& unsaturate& fats" car*oh!&rates" an& 'roteins+ At the en& of the &a!" it is !our &ecision on %hether !ou %ant to ta/e 'rotein su''lements in or&er to enhance !our %or/out an& athletic e5'erience" an& I ho'e that !ou ma/e the a''ro'riate &ecision+ With Love, Aashish Shah