The Bull stops here

Protein is a given for any serious sports person and it's amazing how many athletes are still unaware of what type of protein is best and how much of it they need.

It is the key macro nutrient for bone and muscle recovery and, repair and hormone production. It has also been verified after hundreds of studies that athletes and trainers require around 1.3 grams of protein for each pound of body weight; of course this is purely for maintenance, additional protein is usually required for increasing lean muscle tissue. Athletes (any sports person) have found by cutting back on carbohydrates and increasing protein that they are able to stay in better shape all year round.

The other ridiculous myth is that we can only absorb 30 grams of protein at one time, think about it an 18 stone professional rugby player will easily ingest and absorb far greater amounts of protein than a 7 stone dancer. The rugby player would simply lose huge amounts of muscle if he could only absorb 30 grams and he’d never recover in time for his next game. So let us be real and logical about this and stick to the rule of thumb of 1.3 grams of protein per pound of body weight.

The better the quality of protein the easier it is for the body to use amino acids for muscle growth and repair, unfortunately many supplement companies do not disclose the % breakdown of the proteins mix within the products they sell.

Whey Protein

Is an isolated by-product of cheese production, it is the process where the curd is separated from the whey and the whey is the syrupy liquid sometimes seen on the top of cottage cheese. Over the last decade whey has shot to the top of the protein pile because it's highly soluble and absorbed into the blood stream really quickly.

Manufacturers have refined the process of isolating whey from fat, lactose, ash and sodium by selecting certain processes, some of which can be very expensive; Cold ultra filtration also known as micro filtration is a process where whey is physically passed through a microscopic filter and the high quality proteins are trapped and collected, another method is ion exchange, this is the process where proteins are extracted by taking advantage of their specific electrical charge, like a magnet attracting the whey molecules to the filter to be collected. Finally hydrolyzed whey is the most rapidly absorbed whey and its produced by cutting protein strands into microscopic pieces by using enzymes. This protein is sometimes known as pre-digested protein which has been found to be bitter tasting and expensive.

So what is so special about whey protein? Whey protein contains the highest concentration of branch chain amino acids of any other protein source and a third of muscle tissue is made up branch chain amino acids (leucine, Isoleucine, Valine); intense training damages muscle tissue, in response the muscle cells go through a complicated repair process eventually increasing muscle size and strength. The muscles require amino acids to build muscle proteins and begin muscle repair and protein synthesis. A recent study by the Florida State University found that the ingestion of branch chain amino acids pre and post exercise reduced muscle degradation*

*(Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism 17, 595-607, 2007)
Muscles grow when 'protein synthesis' which is an anabolic process is greater than 'proteolysis' which is a catabolic. BCAA's are the major players in protein synthesis especially for athletes and bodybuilders, the body uses more BCAA's as exercise intensity and duration increases*. *(International Sports journal of Sports medicine, 28; 531-538, 2007)

Casein

The main caseinates in supplements are from processes using washing by sodium, potassium or calcium and contrast you have miscellular caseins which involve nanofiltration, enzymatic separation and cold pressing. Miscellar casein is the highest grade and most expensive of caseins. When ingested casein forms a gel in the guts and so transit time and absorption of proteins and amino acids compared to whey is considerably slowed.

Casein also has a high concentration of glutamine, which helps with muscle repair and immune support. Taking into account the slow absorption rates. Athletes and bodybuilders often use Casein as their last meal of the day just before bed time in order for the continuation of protein absorption during times of sleep and so enhancing the effects of protein synthesis.

Many Supplement companies tend to cut the most corners with this variety of protein, sometimes using the very cheapest sources and unfortunately they tend to be high in lactose, which is known as milk sugar, in adulthood most humans lose the enzyme lactase that helps with the breakdown of lactose.

More protein news

An increase in protein has been proven as an effective weight / fat loss formula. Protein increases satiety (that full feeling) it also promotes thermogenisis (an increase in calorie consumption through metabolic and internal heat increases). During weight loss high protein intake preserves lean tissue, reduces body fat and fights hunger despite reduced calorie intake.

Taking amino acids pre-workout and at least a 30 gram protein shake post workout and another at dinner will help prevent muscle loss and hunger*

(International Journal of Obesity, 38: S23, 2006)