Bodybuilding Nutrition-Protein.pdf

30 Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

A t a sports nutrition seminar I attended

some time back, a woman who was a

marathon competitor and the author

of several books on sports nutrition

gave a lecture on optimal nutrition

for various sports, including carb loading, adequate

hydration and carb snacks to eat during endurance

events. She presented her material well and sup-

ported it with well-designed studies.

Suddenly, in the middle of her presentation, how-

ever, she flashed a slide of former Mr. Olympia

Chris Dickerson. The photo was great, but her sub-

sequent comments regarding bodybuilding nutri-

tion were not. Her take on it was this: “When a

young man comes in to see me regarding nutrition

and bodybuilding, I simply emphasize that all he

needs are well-balanced meals. Using protein pow -

ders and all those other supplements is a waste of

time and money and won’t add beneficial results. If

he’s adamant that he must have something in addi-

tion to balanced meals, I tell him to buy dry nonfat

milk and add it to his beverages. I do this to pacify

him, as it isn’t necessary. The literature shows that

bodybuilders really don’t need any more protein

than the RDA [recommended dietary allowance] of

0.8 to 1.0 grams per kilogram of bodyweight per

day.”

Hogwash!

For a 154-pound man, that’s 70 grams of protein

per day. Obviously, the woman knew less about

bodybuilding and nutrition than most bodybuilders

know about marathons.

The sad part was, the auditorium was packed

with dietitians, physical therapists, sports trainers

and other health professionals, who took her words

as gospel.

Is that really what “the literature shows”? Let’s

review it and see.

My favorite study, although not recent, was re-

ported in the highly respected American Journal of

Clinical Nutrition (28:29-35; 1975). It involved

men performing “heavy physical activity,” includ-

ing isometric exercises, treadmill sessions, station-

ary bike riding and other “sports activities,” during

a 40-day period.

One group took in 100 grams of protein per day;

the other, 197 grams. The calories were the same

for both groups.

What were the results? The researchers reported

that the additional protein “did not enhance physi-

cal performance.” That means the men who ate the

higher-protein diet didn’t walk longer on the tread-

mill, ride further on the bike or apply more pres-

sure on the isometric exercises. The study

concluded that consuming additional protein failed

to improve sports performance and so was “unnec-

essary.” Nevertheless, it did have an interesting

“side effect.” The researchers went on to report

that the men who ate the high-protein diet did “in-

crease body protein stores and muscle mass.”

Oops! I guess the sports nutrition author forgot

to mention that while extra protein won’t help

those young men she counsels lift heavier weights

or enable them to train longer, it will let them build

bigger muscles. (Of course, the irony is, that’s why

they come to her in the first place—they want big-

ger muscles.)

That’s what success means to bodybuilders—

more muscle mass. The guy with 20-inch arms

couldn’t care less about the guy who can curl 20

more pounds than he can but has arms that are only

17 inches. That’s the reason bodybuilders never

win the World’s Strongest Man Competition,

though they often place higher than most other

sports superstars. The winners are usually the guys

with big muscles and big bellies—in other words,

the strength athletes.

If your goal is simply to be stronger, then use

low repetitions and heavy weights and eat like a

horse, without worrying about muscle size and

symmetry. If your primary goal is bigger muscles

without excess fat (you’ll also increase your

strength to a significant degree), then the literature

clearly states that you do need to increase protein

intake. In the study cited above, the group that

gained more muscle mass ate twice as much pro-

tein as the control group. They didn’t do it just by

eating more food. In order to reach the high protein

Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

Protein and Bodybuilding

by Daniel Curtis, R.D.

A positive

nitrogen

balance

indicates that

the body is

taking in

more protein

(nitrogen)

than it

excretes. You

must have a

positive

nitrogen

balance

before muscle

growth can

begin, as your

body builds

the new

muscle with

the extra.

intake without unnecessary fat and sugar, they used Casec (a milk pro-

tein isolate—not powdered milk) and Meritene, an early protein supple-

ment that was often used in hospitals.

A more recent study that was reported in the International Journal of

Sports Nutrition (1:127-145; 1991) came to a very different conclusion

than the 1975 study: “Present data indicate that strength athletes should

consume 1.5 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per

day, which is 188 to 250 percent of the RDA for protein.”

The idea that bodybuilders need more protein is backed up by numer-

ous other studies.

•As reported in the Journal of Sports Medicine (8[3]:161; 1989),

“Weightlifting training can also lead to a daily protein requirement that

exceeds the current RDA.”

•In the journal Metabolism (12:259-274; 1970) the authors of another

study found that 2.0 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight

per day was “barely sufficient to maintain nitrogen balance during

moderate-intensity strength training.” Their conclusion was that a

weightlifter’s protein requirement “increased proportionally to training

intensity.”

•An article titled “Maximizing Performance With Nutrition,” pub-

lished in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (19, July ’97),

reported that “the protein RDA may be 10 to 100 percent higher for in-

dividuals who exercise on a regular basis. Optimal intakes, although

unknown, may be even higher, especially for individuals attempting to

increase muscle mass and strength.” In reviewing a number of studies,

the author stated that “these studies indicate that the current protein

RDA is insufficient for both strength and endurance athletes, and sever-

al suggest that the actual requirement is considerably higher.”

A positive nitrogen balance indicates that the body is taking in more

protein (nitrogen) than it excretes. You must have a positive nitrogen

balance before muscle growth can begin, as your body builds the new

muscle with the extra. There’s some speculation that as positive nitro-

gen balance increases, so do muscle size and strength. The last article

suggested that “perhaps, by maintaining a more positive nitrogen bal-

ance, protein synthesis would be further enhanced, leading to larger and

stronger muscles.” It pointed to a study that involved elite Romanian

weightlifters who increased muscle mass by 6 percent and strength by 5

percent when their protein intake was increased from 225 percent of the

RDA to 438 percent.

Why have the study results differed so much about the amount of pro-

tein necessary for muscle growth? According to the authors of that last

article, “Exercise intensity appears critical and may explain why some

studies have not observed an increased protein requirement.”

As for the frequently mentioned health hazards—including the claim

that excess protein can cause liver or kidney damage: “Actually, except

in preexisting liver or kidney abnormalities, there is little documented

evidence of health problems due to a high protein intake.… In an active

individual the fate of ingested protein is likely quite different than in a

sedentary individual.”

So the scientific literature doesn’t clearly state that bodybuilders

don’t need additional protein to build muscle mass. In fact, it clearly

states the opposite—that bodybuilders looking to increase muscle size

need significantly more protein than nonbodybuilders.

To tell people to simply eat more at meals is very ambiguous. They

may eat more fats and carbohydrates, in which case their muscles won’t

grow but their waists certainly will. Remember that in the first study

cited above, both groups of subjects ate the same calories but one got

double the protein with that calorie level, and they were the ones who

gained mass.

The bottom line is that bodybuilders need more protein, and supple-

ments like protein powders do help. You also want to be leery of so-

called nutrition experts who aren’t familiar with bodybuilding and think

that performance in bodybuilding equates to performance in other

sports. In bodybuilding, performance means big, symmetrical mus-

cles—and for that very reason bodybuilding nutrition is a different ani-

mal from nutrition for other sports.

The

researchers

reported that

the additional

protein “did

not enhance

physical

performance.”

Nevertheless,

it did have an

interesting

“side effect.”

The

researchers

went on to

report that the

men who ate

the high-

protein diet

did “increase

body protein

stores and

muscle mass.”

34 Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

Wheys and Means

Interview by Jerry Brainum

bodybuilders tend to be quite

savvy. Many can tell you precise -

ly how many grams of protein are

in an egg or a chicken breast.

They take the meaning of the word protein literally,

with the perception that it’s the most important nu -

trient for successful muscle building. Few body -

builders would argue about the necessity of

consuming increased amounts of protein to foster

anabolic effects in muscle. Points of both con -

tention and confusion arise, however, when it

comes to the subject of protein supplements.

The fact that so many different kinds of high-tech

protein supplements are now available doesn’t

clarify the issue. The ads all sound scientific, a fact

that’s underscored by the inclusion of medical ref -

erences and sometimes even quotes from medical

professionals, who appear to endorse the product’s

efficacy. The many scientific-sounding terms that

are bandied about in the ads, such as ionization ,

cross-flow filtration and other equally nebulous

words, further obfuscate an already confusing sub -

ject.

To help clear up the confusion, much of which is

the result of misrepresentation and factually false

advertising, Icontacted an expert on the subject.

He’s worked in protein research and development

for more than 25 years, and he’s involved with

many companies that sell protein supplements or

meal-replacement formulas. Since he prefers to

maintain good relations with all of them, he’s re -

quested that I keep his identity confidential.

By the way, this guy is real; he’s not a fictional

character or a composite of several people rolled

into one, something that’s been done in several

other publications. The man was motivated to give

this interview by the many misrepresentations and

outright lies he sees in protein ads. As such, he’s

providing a public service for consumers to make

informed decisions based on fact rather than

hearsay.

Q: Some nutrition texts list the biological value

(BV) of whey as 104, yet many advertisements for

whey protein supplements boast of biological val -

ues as high as 159. Why the apparent discrepan -

cy?

A: Biological value is an attempt to measure

how efficiently protein is used in the body. To de-

termine a food’s BV, scientists provide a measured

intake of protein, then note the nitrogen uptake vs.

nitrogen excretion. That’s a gross simplification,

since the actual process is more complex.

In theory, a biological value of 100 is maximal.

The BV for whey is often listed at 104 because the

extra 4 percent represents a margin of error in the

calculation. Even so, biological value is not a uni-

versally accepted measure of protein quality be-

cause of several factors. For example, BV testing

is always done in the fasting state, which affects

nitrogen uptake differently from what takes place

when subjects are in a fed state. Simply put, not

eating changes the way the body absorbs nitrogen

in protein.

The 159 BV value for whey you see in some ad -

vertisements comes from a study in which the au-

thor quoted two earlier researchers who had

claimed a 159 BV for whey protein. The problem

is, the researchers had confused BV with chemical

score, which involves measuring the activity of

amino acids in the body. The 159 figure refers to

whey’s chemical score, not its biological value. A

true biological value of 159 for a protein just isn’t

possible, since the maximum BV is around the 100

mark.

Q: A number of high-tech terms are frequently

mentioned in ads for commercial whey products,

such as ionization and cross-flow filtration .

What do they mean, and are some processing

techniques better than others?

A: To understand the answer to that question,

you need to know the history of whey proteins.

Until about 25 years ago whey was considered a

waste product of the dairy industry. You made

cheese or casein from milk, and the by-product of

the manufacturing process was whey. The question

36 Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

W hen it comes to protein intake,

The

biologically

active whey

protein

fractions,

such as

lactoferrin,

are just about

nonexistent

in true ion-

exchange

whey protein

isolate. It’s a

notable

disadvantage

because the

limited whey

fractions have

considerable

health

benefits.

facing dairy companies was, What do we do with all that whey?

In its raw state whey is about 6 percent solids, is an unappetizing

greenish color and both looks and tastes terrible. It spoils easily due to

its high content of lactose (milk sugar), which is a favorite food of bac-

teria. For the most part whey didn’t appear to hold much commercial

promise for dairy factories. As a result, they simply dumped their whey

in nearby rivers and streams, which quickly led to an environmental

hazard due to the high biological oxidation demand of whey solids,

something the government frowned on.

The dairy factories began processing whey into a powder containing

11 percent protein, 72 percent lactose and some ash, or minerals. It was

yellow, and it didn’t taste great. Some factories persisted in dumping

whey, such as one in Australia that built a pipeline to dump it directly

into the ocean.

Eventually, a membrane system was developed to filter whey. The

first process was called ultrafiltration, and it was developed by the

French. It involved separating the whey protein from the ash and lac-

tose, which resulted in a 35 to 70 percent protein content. The process

continued to be refined, particularly for the Japanese market, where

there’s a high tax on the import of any protein that has less than an 80

percent protein content. The Japanese were huge consumers of whey

because they used it as a substitute for egg white in certain foods.

The next big breakthrough in whey processing occurred about 15

years ago, when a Welsh engineer developed the ion-exchange process.

This process revolved around the positive and negative charges, or ion

properties, of whey proteins. It featured the use of a resin to isolate the

protein material from the whey, adjusting the pH, or acidity level, along

the way. This was followed by ultrafiltration methods to further con-

centrate the protein. He called his product Bipro whey protein isolate. It

provided an unprecedented 90 percent protein content while containing

less than 1 percent lactose.

The inventor of this ion-exchange process patented its use in all types

of applications. Upon later learning that he had terminal cancer, howev-

er, the Welshman put his whey patents up for sale. They were pur-

chased by a company that owned a dairy business in Minnesota. That

company evolved to Davisco, which today manufactures Bipro. The

important point is that this product is a true whey protein isolate, which

means that it contains more than 90 percent protein.

Since Davisco now had a lock on the resin method of manufacturing

a whey protein isolate, competing dairy companies sought another way

to produce higher-protein whey powders that wouldn’t infringe on

patents held by Davisco. Enter microfiltration, which featured filtering

membranes with microscopic holes. Still another process that used

even smaller holes in the filtering membranes for whey was called

nanofiltration. The smaller the holes in the filtering membranes, the

more expensive the process.

The usual whey processing used today involves an initial ultrafiltra-

tion, which brings the protein content to 75 to 80 percent. The resulting

whey liquid is run through either micro- or nanofiltration, screening out

more fat and lactose. That results in the whey’s having about 1 percent

fat content, while the protein content goes up to 81 to 86.5 percent.

Cross-flow filtration is more of an advertising ploy used by a particu-

lar company than the new technical advance the ads imply. In reality,

this type of whey processing is no better than the others.

Q: What are the drawbacks and advantages of the various whey-

processing techniques?

A: True ion-exchange whey is clear in solution, an advantage if

you’re using it in bottled protein drinks. This is the Bipro whey, since

Bipro’s maker, Davisco, still retains the patents for producing ion-ex-

change whey. Among the disadvantages of ion-exchange whey are the

high price and limited supply.

In addition, studies show that ion-exchange whey protein isolates

sometimes contain as much as 70 percent beta-lactoglobulin and as lit-

tle as 10 percent alpha-lactalbumin.

Those percentages aren’t even simi-

lar to the ones that are naturally

found in cow’s milk and are signifi-

cantly different from the proportions

found in mother’s milk, where

alpha-lactalbumin content is high

and there’s no beta-lactoglobulin

present. The significance is that

beta-lactoglobulin is considerably

more allergenic than alpha-lactalbu-

min in humans.

The biologically active whey pro-

tein fractions, such as lactoferrin,

are just about nonexistent in true

ion-exchange whey protein isolate.

This has to do with the processing

system used to produce ion-ex-

change whey, which doesn’t favor

the retention of the smaller vital

whey protein fractions. It’s a notable

disadvantage because the limited

whey fractions have considerable

health benefits.

The primary disadvantage of the

filtered whey proteins as opposed to

the ion-exchange variety is that the

filtered types aren’t as pure. True

ion-exchange protein—specifically,

Bipro—is 90 percent protein, while

filtered whey protein isolates aver-

Cross-flow

filtration is

more of an

advertising

ploy than the

new technical

advance the

ads imply.

38 Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

Bodybuilding Supplement Guide

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: