Is Protein Intake Overrated?

You're not gonna get a good answer on this.  All you're gonna get are opinions on both sides, and they're equally unsupported by much evidence other than anecdotal. 

Just make sure you get enough calories so that the protein you do eat isnt used for energy, most people who consume the extra shakes and what not are not getting enough calories as it is so they need the extra protein to have some extra. I know some people who have had great success with Gomad (gallon of milk a day) and others who eat balanced.

I believe that the gram per lb of bodyweight is more for strength athletes (bodybuilders, powerlifters). I am certainly not an expert, but I do not believe a triathlete requires the same level of protein intake because you're not going through the same process of breaking down and rebuilding of the muscles as a strength athlete. That process requires large amounts of protein.

I think the real question is how do you feel at your current protein intake level? Are you frequently injured? Does your body seem to recover quickly from your workouts?

I strength train along with S/B/R and I have never felt I needed to eat 1g/lb. I probably get about 1/2g per lb and do not feel that the additional protein would make any difference. What do the elite triathletes say about their protein intake?

I have been following (more or less) the Paleo Diet for Athletes. It of course has its own take on protein intake, but it seems to work very well for me. I do have a hard time getting both enough calories (quality calories) and enough protein per day but what I do seems beneficial to my performance. It has a sliding scale depending how much activity you engage in ... worth a read!

I think protein intake is underrated, especially in endurance athletes.  There have been studies conducted showing that endurance athletes (and vegetarians, and those trying to lose weight) have higher protein needs.  However, as Derek alluded to, I'm sure you can probably find studies showing the opposite. 

I do feel that the RDA for protein is a little misleading, as it is based on a sedentary individual's needs.  Furthermore, I'm not sure it takes into account the fact that some of your protein sources are not complete (i.e. the protein from veggies).  Finally, you should know that the dailyplate.com recommendation is a little broken right now - it seems to have dropped in the last month or so, and now it's actually lower than the RDA.  TDP is crazy like that.

Below are some recommendations from a few of my nutrition books for athletes (I have a ton - I'm a nutrition hobbyist).  Do with them what you will. 

From the RDA: .4g protein per pound (just gave you this one for comparison)
From Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook:
.6-.7g per pound for endurance athletes
.8-.9g per pound for an athlete restricting calories
*She also notes that for endurance athletes, about 5% of energy comes from protein during exercise, which explains the higher intake recommendation.
From Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes: .5-.8g
*Monique Ryan (the author) also mentions the protein being used as fuel thing, up to 15% at the end of long training sessions.  She additionally explains that athletes need the extra protein for recovery and muscle tissue repair.
From Paleo Diet for Athletes:
in grams per pound, based on training volume in hours:
less than 5 hours= .6-.7g
5-10 hours = .7-.8g
10-15 hours = .8-.9g (it goes up from there, all the way to 1g/1lb for 20+hours)


Now for my anecdotal evidence:
Currently I am on 1g/1lb of protein, although it is under the supervision of an RD/PhD, so I would never go around recommending it.  Prior to this, I was eating around 70-90g per day, so it's not like this was a big stretch for me to go up to 110+.  I've been very successful with maintaining muscle mass while losing about 9% of my body weight, especially once I went up to the higher level (I also lift though, which helped).  Now, my weight is steady and my body fat percentage is dropping nicely (yay! this was my goal). 

On the flip side of the coin... My husband just finished a training cycle for an Ironman, where he spent quite a few weeks training over 20 hours per week.  He ate a high carb diet, as expected, but his protein intake was lower than mine (maybe .6g/pound).  Even though he followed a 2x per week weight training program, he lost an enormous amount of muscle during his training.  His body fat percentage remained fairly unchanged toward the end when he dropped the most weight, meaning what he lost was mainly muscle.  Actually, it's pretty shockingly obvious just looking at him that this occurred.  Do I know for sure that it was because of his nutrition?  Of course not, and there could be other factors at play.  But based on what the dietitians cited above recommended, I do feel that his low protein was a major contributor for his loss of muscle.

My opinion, for whatever it's worth, is that a little more protein *at worst* isn't going to hurt you, and *at best* is going to help with recovery and also help you maintain your physique.


Edited by DMW 2009-10-04 9:06 PM

Thanks all for the Replies, Since I'm finishing off my first year of Sprint Tri's and Working towards Oly's next year I'm needing a little insight on the nutrition aspect.

I've adjusted my profile on thedailyplate/livestrong.com and now its in the 65g range. That is more in line with what I'm actually eating. However the Cal intake is in the 2,600 range for maintaining my current body weight 170 +/- a couple of pounds. I'm currently averaging 1500-1700 and that's in 4-5 small meals a day!

Gees I only eat that many Calories on long training days on the weekend. During the week I typically workout twice a day.

The foods I eat don't have that meany calories. IE Fresh Fruits, Veggies(Steamed), Rice/Bagels/Nuts, Lean Meats(Fish/Chicken). There is so much cr@p I've cut out of my diet its astonishing. I'm just trying to be selective putting it back in.

Once Again, Thanks all for a little guidance.

I have a protein shake after every workout.

I eat normally during the day and with every meal try to add a bit of protein into it via chicken, ham, tuna, eggs, peanut butter, etc.

Never just have a meal with carbs only.

The ideal thing for you to do is meet with a nutrition / athletic coach who can analyze YOU and your goals.  They can set up meal plans and everything for you.  I did it and it works quite well.  If for example, a year from now you are losing more muscle than you want...they can help change your intake as well.

cmarinopt, thanks for that excellent article. 

x2. Thanks for the article. Here is the summary:

It is the position of the International Society of Sports Nutrition that exercising individuals need approximately 1.4 to 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day. The amount is dependent upon the mode and intensity of the exercise, the quality of the protein ingested, and the status of the energy and carbohydrate intake of the individual. Concerns that protein intake within this range is unhealthy are unfounded in healthy, exercising individuals. An attempt should be made to obtain protein requirements from whole foods, but supplemental protein is a safe and convenient method of ingesting high quality dietary protein. The timing of protein intake in the time period encompassing the exercise session has several benefits including improved recovery and greater gains in fat free mass. Protein residues such as branched chain amino acids have been shown to be beneficial for the exercising individual, including increasing the rates of protein synthesis, decreasing the rate of protein degradation, and possibly aiding in recovery from exercise. In summary, exercising individuals need more dietary protein than their sedentary counterparts, which can be obtained from whole foods as well as from high quality supplemental protein sources such as whey and casein protein.

BTW, the suggested amount equates to 0.64-0.91g/lb bodyweight per day.

Edited by ScoopJackson 2009-10-12 2:40 PM

There is some interesting research in the area of individual variations and individual needs nutritionally. But what is available as "hard science" a one size fits all formula- it doesn't exist.But I would ask you a few questions that might help you answer this for yourself:How do you feel?How is your energy level?Do you have more infections or colds than usual?Are you recovering from your workouts?How is your hydration level? But some of this won't come from protein alone, there are many variables here--even how you are utilizing the protein you do eat, to a long list of other nutrients.Some people might experiment with changes and see how it affects them. But if you feel good, and you have no reason to believe there is something "wrong" or that you need to make adjustments, do what you do.

Im right with DMW on this one!!! And people will agree and disagree all day..But personally I usually go with 1 gram per lb of body weight..protein makes a MONUMENTAL difference in my training and recovery level..it simply highly effects both..If I drop my protein like I happened after 2 hard brick workouts this weekend I just wasnt recovered...even after taking a recovery day on monday..I def noticed a big difference hah for some reason some people dont believe in high protein intake when in all honesty does nothing but help to train harder and recover faster!

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