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Protein Powders - Not Just for Body Builders PDF Print E-mail

Protein powders are often associated with heavily muscled body builders but nearly everyone can benefit from a high quality protein supplement. In fact, they can be an ideal component of a healthy weight loss program because adequate protein is essential for maintaining lean muscle mass. This is important because you want your weight loss to come from fat stores, not from muscle tissue. If your diet causes muscle wasting, you will feel tired and less energetic than you did before you started. Furthermore, preserving lean muscle mass may help you successfully maintain longterm weight loss.

Women tend to be more protein deficient than men and therefore start to lose lean muscle mass earlier.
How Much Protein Do I Need?
Too little—as well as too much—protein in the diet can be unhealthy. A daily protein requirement of 0.36 grams per pound of body weight has been established for U.S. adults. To calculate your optimum daily protein requirement in grams, multiply your ideal weight by 0.36. Ideal weight is used instead of actual weight since the amount of protein needed depends on your lean body mass and not fat. (Example: A woman with an ideal weight of 130 pounds would need 47 grams of protein daily.) If you are following a reduced calorie diet to lose weight, your protein intake should be at least 75 grams per day, which is higher than you would consume if you just wanted to maintain your weight. This is because when you consume fewer calories than needed (causing weight loss), the body’s nitrogen requirement is greater to maintain nitrogen balance.

While most Americans consume adequate amounts of protein, it is often derived from high-fat sources such as red meat. Because of the cardiovascular and other health risks associated with the consumption of animal fat, a high quality, low-fat protein supplement is a healthier alternative. Individuals who have trouble meeting their protein needs can also benefit from a high quality, convenient source of protein. These include children, the elderly, and athletes, as well as those who find it difficult to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

What About High Protein Diets?
High protein diets may appear to be quick fixes for people who want to lose weight but the body needs all of the nutrients that supply energy: fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Each has a unique purpose and is essential in the right amounts but taxing to the body in the wrong amounts. So while you may lose weight in the short-run, you may be putting your health in jeopardy in the long-run.

Table 1.
Biologic Value (BV)
of Dietary Proteins
Protein Biologic Value
Lactalbumin
104
Egg
100
Cow’s milk
91
Beef
80
Casein
77
Soy
74
Potato
71
Rice
59
Wheat
54
Beans
49


Are All Proteins the Same?
There are 20 common amino acids that combine to form different proteins, nine of which are called essential because they must be supplied as a part of the diet. Nonessential amino acids are equally important to protein structure but can be synthesized within the body. Dietary proteins differ in quality and in their capacity to provide amino acids for utilization in the body. One that contains all of the essential amino acids in sufficient quantity and ratio is called a complete protein (high quality). A dietary protein that has a ratio of amino acids different from that of the average body protein, or deficient in one or more of the essential amino acids, is called an incomplete protein and is obviously less valuable for nutrition.

Protein quality is often expressed in terms of biologic value (BV). Animal proteins such as eggs, milk, meat and fish are high BV, complete proteins. Vegetable proteins such as grains, legumes, nuts and seeds are incomplete proteins and thus have a lower BV (Table 1). However, if your meal includes various sources of protein, they can complement or supplement each other by providing a total mixture of the essential amino acids.

Advantages of Whey Protein Supplements
Whey protein concentrate is believed to be the highest quality protein available, even when compared to egg, casein, milk, beef or soy. It contains all essential and non-essential amino acids and is an excellent source of glutamine and the branched-chain amino acids that are necessary for new cell growth. As seen in Table 1, lactalbumin—the main component of whey—has the highest BV. Thus whey protein is an excellent choice for providing both a basic dietary form of protein and for supplementation.

Benefits for Those Over 50
Pound for pound, muscle tissue burns far more calories at rest than fat mass, and with increasing age, skeletal muscle mass decreases and body fat mass increases. Therefore the age-related decline in lean body mass contributes to a lower basal metabolic rate in the elderly and can also cause age-related reductions in bone density, insulin sensitivity and aerobic capacity. Thus, increasing muscle mass and strength may be an important way to increase functional independence and decrease the prevalence of many age-associated chronic diseases. While less energy is needed, the requirement for dietary protein and essential amino acids is increased because of a reduced rate of protein synthesis and protein metabolism. Women tend to be more protein deficient than men and therefore start to lose lean muscle mass earlier. The optimum daily amount of protein for those over 50 is considered to be 0.54 to 0.68 grams per pound of body weight.

Vegetarian Diets
More total protein is required in a vegetarian diet and these requirements may be met by combining complementary plant proteins (e.g. rice and beans) to achieve the necessary balance of amino acids. For those vegetarians who accept milk products (lactovegetarian), supplementing the diet with whey protein is an excellent way to ensure that protein needs are met. For those who do not use milk products (vegan), soy protein is an alternative.

 
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