Protein for Weight Trainers: How Much is Too Much?

Eating More Protein Than You Need May Be Wasteful

It's true that bodybuilders and weight lifters need to keep the protein up in their diet in order to maintain and build the large muscle mass which is so important to their sports or recreation.

Protein, as most know, is found in meat, fish, chicken, beans, milk, in soy products like tofu and in lesser amounts in nuts and grains.

Daily Requirements

The daily requirements are set by various nutrition authorities in each country. In the US, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) sets the guidelines for nutrients like protein as well as other major vitamins and minerals. For most people, the protein intake is set at less than 70 grams each day.

Athletes require quite a bit more than this to support muscle repair, increased growth and to protect against the general hardships of vigorous training and competing.

Yet no sports nutrition authority recommends more than twice the daily allowance, some much less.

Excess Protein is a Waste

Some bodybuilders and weight training athletes have taken this recommendation for extra protein to extraordinary limits and well beyond any scientific recommendation. While excessive protein seems to do no harm in healthy active people up to a point, the risk may be more substantial for someone with kidney disease -- the overweight or diabetic for example.

Excess protein beyond the requirements of the body is broken down and converted to glucose or may be excreted.

The situation is not helped by the extraordinary vigor of the protein supplement industry which encourages the use of powdered supplements on top of food intake in the weight training and bodybuilding markets.

Eat well and include plenty of protein in the diet when weight training, but there is no need to overdo it and even less need for proprietary protein powders. Skim milk powder supplies all the protein required if a supplement is required -- and at a fraction of the price of the expensive brands.

Reference

Lambert CP, Frank LL, Evans WJ. Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding. Sports Med. 2004;34(5):317-27. Review.