PROTEIN AND

EXERCISE
SUMMARY

Author:
Ricardo Berenguer Verdú
Subject:
Sport Nutrition
Studies:
Human Nutrition and Dietetics
 This meta-analysis, provided by Jäger and colleagues, is highly exhaustive, having a total
of 224 references to studies about protein intake, to update domains such as:

Exercise performance
 Endurance: The extra protein intake doesn’t appear to improve athletes’
efficiency at short term, but it can reduce muscle damage and soreness. There
are more studies needed in this area.
 Resistance: Protein supplementations and intakes above of 2 g/kg/d may
contribute to small to modest strength gains, and general positive impact on
performance.

Body composition
Protein supplementation combined with the training may promote skeletal muscle and lean
body mass gains in hypercaloric dieting. High daily protein intake plus a resistance training
program may lead to fat mass losses (over lean mass losses) in hypocaloric dieting (taking 2x
and 3x RDA of protein). Some evidence puts the intake over 3 g/kg/day to optimize fat mass
loss.

Protein timing
Post-workout protein has been shown to maximize muscle repair, strength and hypertrophy
adaptations by increasing MPS, due the fact that skeletal muscle is sensitized to amino acids
for up to 24 hours after training (peak between 30 and 60 min after).
Also, pre and inner-exercise supplementation with carbohydrates and protein/EAAs can
provide favorable anabolic hormone profile and stimulation of MPS. So, peri-workout protein
supplementation provides better training adaptations, but it is important to mention that the total
daily quantity intake has more importance than the timing.
Special mention to pre-sleep intake (especially when it’s casein) to maintain the MPS active
during the sleep period.

Recommended intake
Evidence shows that trained individuals may require between 50% and 175% more protein
quantity than sedentary ones. This makes a minimum recommended of 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg/day,
going even into 2.4 g/kg/day for maximize benefits.

Protein quality
The quality is referred to the proportion of EAAs that the protein contains. They are the
ones we need to survive, and they appear to be uniquely responsible for increasing MPS
(between 6 to 15 g to stimulate). Inside of them, there are the BCAAs, which appear to have
abilities to stimulate protein translation. And inside the BCAAs, there is a special mention to the
leucine, due the fact that evidence puts it on the top of MPS stimulation.

Protein sources
Animal protein sources appear to offer optimal growth in front of vegetal ones. Special
mention to egg (ideal amino acid profile) and milk whey protein (demonstrated health benefits),
because of the high proportion in EAAs, BCAAs and leucine.
However, blending different sources of proteins appears to be the best, because it
allows to combinate nutrient such as EAAs, bioactive peptides and antioxidants.
Vegan diets can also achieve the benefits in the sports area when they are well organized in
getting the EAAs and preventing some lacks in micronutrients (like B12 vitamin).

Preparation methods of various proteins

In filtration process, the protein isolation gets better results by separating it by molecular
weight and not by ion exchange (that can lead to denaturalization of biologically valuable
peptides.
When hydrolyzed in peptides, speed of absorption increases, so it does the subsequent
hormone response, getting better benefits.
Digestive enzymes may provide a better digestion of the food, so a better absorption and
assimilation of the nutrients presents in it.

Protein safety
Evidence and controlled investigations showed that the intakes between 2.5 and 3.3 g/kg/day
(some of them even 4 g/kg/day) have no harmful effect on healthy trained individuals.

CONCLUSION

High protein intake and protein supplementation have several benefits in trained
individuals that cannot be ignored. They provide improvements in performance and training
adaptations, favorable lean mass gains and fat mass losses in body composition and health
benefits (both mind and body).
The ideal should be to consume whole food that contains high-quality protein.
However, protein supplementation is a safe, convenient and easy method to acquire the
necessary amount of protein, and to take it peri-workout to take advantage of the timing.
In the very conclusion, protein intake is a safe and powerful tool to improve in the
exercise activities; so, it’s better to assure not being under the minimum and not having lacks
(better more than less) to optimize the results.