-
Is protein distribution dead?
Best practices in sports nutrition point athletes to eat protein in moderate doses throughout the day to maximise muscle growth. A recent study explored what happens when a large dose of protein is ingested after resistance training, raising the question: Is protein distribution dead? Current recommendations Current sports nutrition recommendations are to consume around 25-30g of protein per meal in order to maximise muscle growth. Many people consume more than that at lunch and/or dinner; for example, 1 medium Scotch fillet steak has around 50 grams of protein and 1 medium chicken breast around 55. The general consensus has been that the extra protein is not required to stimulate muscle…
-
Protein requirements for female athletes
Are protein requirements for female athletes the same than those of male athletes? Although it makes sense to think that body composition, energy metabolism and sex hormones may play a role in nutrient requirements, there are no fast and hard rules, but sensible guidelines as detailed below. Protein requirements for female athletes In theory, female athletes should have slightly lower protein requirements than their male counterparts because oestrogen causes exercising female bodies to increase fatty acid oxidation and decrease amino acid (and carbohydrate) oxidation (1, 2). Moreover, protein catabolism is higher in the luteal phase when oestrogen and progesterone are high (1). On the other hand, some studies seem to…
-
Protein timing and quantity for building muscle
Protein intake is essential for muscle synthesis and repair. The digestion process breaks down protein into amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle and many other components of our body. We have explored protein quality in a previous article. Today we will focus on protein timing and quantity for building muscle. How much protein in total? The total protein requirement depends on many, many things. I won’t go into any detail in this article and just say the range is typically anywhere between 0.8 and 2 grams (g) of protein per kilogram (kg) of body weight. How much protein per meal? The optimal dose of protein for muscle…
