Download Protein Supplements

Protein Supplements
Welcome to the first monthly nutrition bulletin of the New Year. I’ve heard rumblings
about whether golfers could benefit from taking a protein supplement so I thought this
would be a good topic to start 2007!
Protein, and its effect on performance and body composition, has interested athletes
since ancient times when eating raw meat was thought to be beneficial for muscle
gain. Many athletes today, particularly power and strength athletes, still believe that
a high protein diet will enhance sporting performance. Such beliefs are further fuelled
by the claims made by manufacturers of protein and amino acid supplements (amino
acids are the building bricks of protein).
Protein and muscle mass
Muscle mass is determined by the training effect and not by excessive intakes of
dietary protein. Protein is important – after all it is what muscle is made of – but it is
training that stimulates protein synthesis. Strength is proportional to the crosssectional area of the muscle and this is related to increases in the diameter of the
individual muscle fibres making up the muscle. As a result of training, there is an
increase in amino acid transport into the muscle cells which enhances their
incorporation in the muscle proteins. Not only does the muscle get stronger but the
tendons get thicker and the bone gets stronger, particularly where the tendon joins
the bone. All these adaptations are obviously vital if injury is to be avoided. Anabolic
steroids often cause a mismatch as muscle increase is not matched by tendon increase
and this can result in injuries where the tendon joins the bone. To gain muscle mass
you need to increase the workload on your muscles by a well-planned training
programme and eat a diet that contains not only protein but also adequate energy.
Recent research seems to indicate that taking a “small” amount of protein before
resistance training and having a carbohydrate and protein snack immediately after
training can help to increase muscle mass and reduce post-exercise muscle protein
breakdown as well as restore the carbohydrate or glycogen stores in the muscles. This
would encourage rapid tissue repair and help to prevent muscle soreness developing.
The amount of protein that is needed is small in relation to the amount of
carbohydrate - of the order of 50g carbohydrate and 10g protein. This translates
neatly into some very easy refuellers –
* chicken, tuna, lean meat, ham or egg sandwich,
* peanut butter baguette or roll
* milkshake or smoothie made with milk and fruit
* bowl of cereal and milk
* baked beans on toast
* scrambled or poached egg on toast
Protein requirements
Current general recommendations for protein intake, set at 0.75g protein per kg body
weight per day, are based on a sedentary lifestyle and do not take into account the
effects of taking regular exercise which will require an increase in protein intake.
Current evidence suggests that strength or speed athletes (sprinters, rugby players
etc) should consume about 1.7 - 1.8g protein per kg body weight per day and
endurance athletes (marathon runners etc) about 1.2 - 1.4g protein per kg body
weight per day.
However it is unlikely that golfers even need to increase their intake to the level of
endurance athletes. It certainly means that golfers should NOT be reaching for the
nearest protein or amino acid supplement but instead should be ensuring that they
include a wide variety of protein rich foods in their daily diet. If you are meeting your
energy requirements (not losing weight and not gaining weight – unless of course you
are actually trying to adjust your weight) you will almost certainly be consuming more
protein than the estimated requirement. Just so you can check what your protein
intake is here are portions that provide 20g of protein:
Food - Weight of food - Portion of food
Beef, lamb, pork - 75g - 2 medium slices
Chicken - 75g - 1 small breast
Fish - 100g - 1 medium fillet
Fish fingers - 135g - 5 fingers
Tuna in brine - 100g - 1 small can
Prawns, boiled-no shell - 100g - approx 30 small prawns
Semi/skimmed milk - 600ml - 1 pint
Cheddar cheese (reduced fat) - 60g - 2 matchbox sized pieces
Eggs - 3 size - 2 eggs
Baked beans - 400g - 1 large can
Lentils (cooked or canned) - 265g - 6½ tablespoons
Nuts - 100g - 100g bag
Seeds - 100g - 100g bag (6tbsps)
Tofu, steamed - 250g
The safest and simplest way to maintain an adequate protein intake is to eat a wide
variety of foods. Many sources of vegetable protein (peas, beans, lentils and nuts)
contain large amounts of carbohydrate, dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals as well as
protein and these foods should be included perhaps more often than at present. Foods
included in the diet primarily for their carbohydrate content also make significant
contributions to the overall protein intake, not so much because they are a rich
protein source but because they are eaten in such large amounts. For example, 4
slices of bread, 8 tablespoons of cooked pasta or 12 tablespoons of cooked rice will
each provide 10g protein. Muscle growth (new muscle or muscle repair) is stimulated
only in the presence of adequate amino acids so it makes sense to spread the intake of
dietary protein throughout the day in order to maintain optimal blood amino acid
levels.
Not enough protein in the diet
It is possible not to eat enough protein if you are seriously restricting your food intake
to lose weight (body fat). Golfers who are fussy eaters may also be at risk of not
eating enough. Poor protein intakes can lead to loss of muscle, slow recovery after
exercise and if protein intakes are chronically low, serious health implications.
However this is very, very unusual.
Are protein supplements necessary?
As energy intake increases to meet the extra energy costs of exercise, there is an
automatic increase in protein intake too. A need for protein supplements is therefore
extremely unlikely. One pint of milk will provide a similar amount of protein as a
serving of protein supplement (most supplements are based on milk protein) at a much
lower price.
Protein for weight loss?
Protein rich foods do seem to make you feel fuller and for longer than foods rich in
carbohydrate or fat. I’m not talking about Atkins-type diets here but by increasing
protein intake slightly and decreasing carbohydrate intake slightly and keeping fat
intake low, you may find you can lose a little bit of weight. Aspects that led health
professionals to be so anti-Atkins (and quite rightly) such as the effect on blood
cholesterol levels, increased risk of kidney stones or loss of calcium from the bones do
not seem to happen when the changes are only slight. Eating butter, cream, fat on
meat etc and cutting back all carbohydrates to virtually nothing is definitely not the
way to lose weight for anybody and certainly not top level golfers.
Perhaps the simplest, safest and best advice is to make sure you have protein and
sufficient carbohydrate (to keep up your energy levels) at breakfast, lunch and your
evening meal.
Jane Griffin
Sports Dietitian and Nutrition Consultant