Protein and Endurance Sports
Endurance Sports are like music concerts. They start at a low key, setting a
steady rhythm and culminate into a crescendo that enthralls the spectator and
the athlete. And not unlike an orchestra, endurance demands a flawless
performance from every organ, testing the limits of their resilience. As each
system, conducted by the human will, endures a pace bordering on fatigue, the
athlete begins to hear music from the heart. What’s often neglected, and
considered unnecessary, in endurance sports is a high-protein diet that can
expand the aerobic capacity and power the performance.
To sustain effort and delay fatigue, the body needs an adequate supply of
oxygen and fuel without accumulating waste products, acids or heat. Greater
the intensity of the workout, greater is the efficiency required. The capacity
of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, the fuel stores in the muscle,
the hepatic and renal support systems must all expand exponentially to perform
in endurance sports. If any of these prerequisites are not met, the internal
milieu becomes uncomfortable. Metabolism slows down, to allow excretion of
wastes, acids and heat, as fatigue sets in. The aerobic stress of endurance
sports provides the necessary stimulus for growth and development. The body is
ready to build. All that is needed are the building blocks-the Proteins.
Given an adequate and appropriate supply of proteins, the body remains in a
state of positive nitrogen balance. Sufficient protein consumption, along with
a high-energy diet also influences the carbohydrate and fat metabolism. In the
well-fed state, with sufficient physical activity, dietary proteins stimulate
the simultaneous release of the growth hormone and insulin. The combined
hormonal influence redirects dietary carbohydrate and fat to the aerobic
muscle fibers where they are stored as fuels for exhausting workouts. The
consequent increase in muscle stores of glycogen and lipid allows sustained
activity for a longer time. With enough proteins, the lean body mass, stamina
and performance increase throughout the training program.
Proteins and amino acids also directly supply between 1 to 6 % of the energy
needs during a workout. The proportion of energy derived from proteins
increases with the intensity of the exercise. Given their role in
bodybuilding, proteins are too important to be used as fuel and attempts
should be made to minimize this percentage. Studies by Bowtell and Tarnopolsky,
report that a high-energy (carbohydrate) diet, when combined with an ample
protein intake and hydration, has a protein sparing effect under aerobic
conditions. However, when the protein intake is inadequate, the high-energy
diet fails to protect proteins from being used up as fuel. Therefore,
endurance athletes need to ensure high levels of protein intake not only to
supply amino acids for growth, but also to make sure that the amino acids
don’t get burnt up as fuel.
Endurance athletes need proteins but do they need protein supplements? The
answer, till recently, was negative for recreational and modest athletes.
Protein supplements were advised only for professional athletes and for
sportspersons with a diet deficient in proteins. However, these
recommendations, based on a parameter called ‘nitrogen balance’, have often
been questioned. Young and Bier propose that there exists a subtle state of
protein deficiency, called the ‘accommodative’ state, where an inadequate
protein intake is masked by the breakdown of body proteins. Measurements based
on nitrogen balance do not take the accommodative state into account and are
therefore are not accurate enough to calculate protein requirements. Mark
Tarnopolsky, in a recent review on Protein Requirements in Endurance Athletes,
also raises similar questions.
Epidemiological studies, by McKenzie and others, also suggest that the dietary
protein intake of up to 20% of athletes may be below levels recommended for
sedentary individuals. Then there is always the ambiguous quality and
absorbability of a dietary protein. Just eating proteins in diet does not
ensure that they will provide all the essential amino acids in adequate
quantities. Given the vital role that proteins play in the metabolic and
physiological response to aerobic stresses of endurance sports, and the
uncertainties regarding dietary protein intake, a protein supplement like
Profect®, can go a long way in improving performance.
Adequate training and a Profect diet will take endurance to its limits, to
levels where aerobic metabolism stimulates the release of enkephalins, the
human equivalent of opium. These enkephalins produce the natural high that is
often referred to as the ‘flow’. As long as metabolism remains aerobic, the
mind is flooded with enkephalins and the systems function in harmony. In
‘flow’ capacity seems endless and fatigue non-existent. Profect, the perfect
protein supplement can do that for you.
About Protica
Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in
Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized
foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein
beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is
available at http://www.protica.com
References
1. Tarnopolsky M.:Protein Requirements for Endurance Athletes Nutrition
200420:662– 668.
2. McKenzie S, Phillips SM, Carter SL, Lowther S, Gibala MJ, Tarnopolsky
MA:Endurance exercise training attenuates leucine oxidation and BCOAD
activation during exercise in humans. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab
2000278:E580
3.Bowtell JL, Leese GP, Smith K, et al. Effect of oral glucose on leucine
turnover in human subjects at rest and during exercise at two levels of
dietary protein.J Physiol 2000525(pt 1):271
4. Young VR, Bier DM, Pellett PL. A theoretical basis for increasing current
estimates of the amino acid requirements in adult man, with experimental
support. Am J Clin Nutr 198950:80
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