I heard him say it in his deep, booming, resounding tone that can be heard from anywhere in the gym. Tim talked to his doe eyed, perpetually happy, Asian client using that condescending, self righteous tone trainers are notorious for. "Now what are you gonna eat when you get home?" He asked, setting her up.
"Um, I don't know, I haven't gone shopping. Maybe just some cereal?" She asked instead of answered.
"Gotta get protein, and a high quality protein, whey is the highest quality protein." Tim bellowed.
"But I'm lactose intolerant." She replied. This threw Tim for a loop. His brow fell like a curtain after a play.
"They have lactose free whey protein now. Gotta get your high quality protein. It helps build muscle."
I'm surprised he didn't rub her head and swat her behind as he shoved her off with a head full of misinformation and the belief that she needed to ingest this whey or go catabolic on a grand scale.
I wanted so badly to remain neutral. I took this job to reinvent myself and shed my own self righteous ways. Tim and I were alone in the break room shortly after. My filter must have been down for repairs because I said, "You know, Tim, there's no scientific evidence that proves protein builds muscle."
"Yeah, it does, it's the highest quality protein." he reiterated.
"Actually, if you're referring to its bioavailability and essential amino acid profile, beef is the best. But none of it is proven to build muscle."
"Muscle is made of protein." Tim said, looking at me as if I was an idiot.
"True, but that doesn't mean that if I eat it I'll build muscle."
"Yeah it does. And whey is predigested." he added.
"What's that have to do with building muscle?" I asked.
This stumped Tim. "I don't know. But I like it," he said before striking a most muscular pose and scampering out of the room.
Protein, like all nutrients, provide calories. There's no way to prove whether or not strength gains come from a specific nutrient or overall calories. This is the problem with nutrition. Balance is the key. Suppose protein is solely responsible for building muscle. Vitamins and minerals (from fruits and veggies, NOT MULTIVITAMINS) are needed to help transport, and support the anabolic process.
The jury is still out on young Tim's declaration. Tim, with his magic protein beans, has fallen prey to genius marketing rather than solid science. Reputable sources don't recommend that more than 15% of overall calories come from protein (20% if you're an elite athlete). Maybe we should spend our money on basic whole foods instead of investing in the latest fad.
So far the fads are winning.
7 comments:
I don't know...I kinda feel like...if I don't ingest whey protien directly after a workout...what's the point of working out in the first place??? I won't gain the muscle until I drink the drink. duhh.
Dude, go back and reread the post.
lactose free whey *snort*
eggs and whey protein are the highest quality protein in terms of its PDCAA measure. Both score 100 on their bioavailability score.
Both also score 1.0 (where 1.0 is the highest measure) on the PDCAA "completeness" measurement.
... whereas beef scores around a 73 or 75 on it's bioavailabilty score.
Although protein does not directly build muscle, it does help in muscle repair- which leads to muscle growth.... Muscle mass and strength can only increase as a result of physical activity and NOT excess protein consumption. In fact, excess protein consumption could be converted and stored as fat in the body. Protein consumption does play an important role in the post exercise meal where it optimizes glycogen storage and promotes muscle repair and restoration.
A PDCAAS value of 1 is the highest, and 0 the lowest as the table demonstrates the ratings of commons foods below.
whey (1.0)
egg white (1.0)
casein (1.0)
milk (1.0)
soy protein isolate (1.00)
beef (0.92)
soybean (0.91)
kidney beans (0.68)
rye (0.68)
whole wheat (0.54)
lentils (0.52)
peanuts (0.52)
seitan (0.25)
Critics have pointed to research that indicates that because whey protein isolate is digested so quickly it may in fact enter the bloodstream and be converted into carbohydrates through a process called gluconeogenesis much more rapidly than was previously thought possible, so while amino acid concentrations increased with whey it was discovered that oxidation rates also increased and a steady-state metabolism, a process where there is no change in overall protein balance, is created.[17] They claim that when the human body consumes whey protein it is absorbed so rapidly that most of it is sent to the liver for oxidation. Hence they believe the reason so much is retained is that it is used for energy production not protein synthesis. This would bring into question whether the method defines which proteins are more biologically utilizable.
A further critique published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine states that the BV of a protein does not take into consideration several key factors that influence the digestion and interaction of protein with other foods before absorption, and that it only measures a proteins maximal potential quality and not its estimate at requirement levels.[18] Also, the study by Poullain et al, which is often cited to demonstrate the superiority of whey protein hydrolysate by marketers, measured nitrogen balance in rats after three days of starvation, which corresponds to a longer period in humans.[19] The study found that whey protein hydrolysate led to better nitrogen retention and growth than the other proteins studied. However the study's flaw is in the BV method used, as starvation affects how well the body will store incoming protein (as does a very high caloric intake), leading to falsely elevated BV measures.[20]
So, the BV of a protein is related to the amount of protein given. BV is measured at levels below the maintenance level. This means that as protein intake goes up, the BV of that protein goes down. For example, milk protein shows a BV near 100 at intakes of 0.2 g/kg. As protein intake increases to roughly maintenance levels, 0.5 g/kg, BV drops only around 70.[20]
Another limitation of the use of Biological Value as a measure of protein quality is that proteins which are completely devoid of one essential amino acid (EAA) can still have a BV of up to 40. This is because of the ability of organisms to conserve and recycle EAAs as an adaptation of inadequate intake of the amino acid.[21]
The importance of adequate protein is largely ignored by traditional nutritionists. However, it's now well-established that 1) higher protein/lower carbohydrate diet favorably affects body mass and composition independent of energy intake, 2) higher protein intake is associated with increased bone mineral mass, 3) exchanging protein for carbohydrate significantly reduces "bad cholesterol" and increases HDL or "good cholesterol," and 4) higher consumption of protein is inversely associated with blood pressure, i.e., protein decreases blood pressure.
In addition, it's now crystal clear that the anabolic effects of resistance exercise are amplified by protein or Amino Acids. A recent study at the Baylor University´s Sport Nutrition Lab examined 10 weeks of resistance training and the ingestion of supplemental protein and Amino Acids on muscle performance and markers of muscle anabolism. The investigators randomly assigned 19 untrained men to supplement groups containing either protein/Amino Acids (14 grams of whey and casein protein and 6 grams of free Amino Acids) or 20 grams of sugar. The supplements were ingested 1 hour before and after exercise for a total of 40 grams per day. The subjects exercised four times per week using three sets of six to eight repetitions at 85 percent to 90 percent of the one-repetition maximum. Not surprisingly, the results indicated that the ingestion of a blend of proteins and free Amino Acids is more effective than an isocaloric sugar supplement in improving muscle strength and mass and biomarkers of muscle anabolism (e.g., muscle IGF-1). Specifically, results showed respective increases in total body mass, fat-free mass and thigh mass of 4.35, 2.70 and 0.41 kilograms for the sugar group and increases of 7.00, 5.62 and 0.73 kilograms for the protein/amino acid group.
The bottom line is that you should take in a fair amount of protein/Amino Acids both before and after resistance training to maximize the anabolic effects of exercise.
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A recent study, published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, examined the effects of supplementation with different proteins, namely hydrolyzed whey protein and casein (the main component of milk protein), on muscle strength and body composition during a 10-week, supervised resistance training program.1 Importantly, this study was conducted on experienced male bodybuilders. In a double-blind protocol, these guys supplemented their normal diets with either whey hydrolysate or casein (1.5 grams per kilogram of body mass per day). What happened? Well, this well-controlled study indicated that:
* 1. The whey hydrolysate group achieved a significantly greater gain in lean body mass than the casein group (5.0 versus 0.8 kilograms). Also, the whey hydrolysate group lost significant body fat while the casein group gained body fat (-1.5 versus 0.2 kilograms).
* 2. The whey hydrolysate group also achieved significantly greater improvements in muscle strength (measured by barbell bench press, squat and cable pulldown) compared to the casein group in each assessment of strength. Furthermore, when the strength changes were expressed relative to bodyweight, the whey group still achieved significantly greater improvements in strength compared to the casein group.
In conclusion, it now appears that high-quality whey protein hydrolysate is the ultimate source of protein for serious, strength-power athletes.
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