How Much Protein Do You Really Need?

Friday, April 19th (eFit.com) - Eating for peak performance in the weight room does not signify living solely on egg whites, grilled chicken breasts and protein shakes. Contrary to popular opinion, eating protein-rich foods will not increase strength and muscle mass.

Wherever this nasty little rumor began, there is no scientific evidence to back it up. Extra protein does not build muscle; resistance training, such as weight lifting or push-ups, does. With regard to muscle, protein-rich foods provide the amino acids to build and repair muscle and to assure proper muscle development. Any excess protein is burned for energy or stored as glycogen or fat. We do not store excess protein in our muscles.

Of course, athletes, both endurance and resistance, need more protein than the average person, but that's because athletes need more of everything: more calories, carbohydrates, fat and fluids. More, however, does not mean more of just one nutrient. Calories increase but the balance of carbohydrate, fat and protein remain at the same recommended levels: 60 percent of total calories from carbohydrates, 20 to 30 percent from fat, and 10 to 15 percent from protein. Excess protein, which is usually at the expense of carbohydrates, may lead to a marked depletion of glycogen stores, thereby resulting in diminished exercise performance. Furthermore, excess protein puts undue strain on the kidneys and can cause dehydration.

So, how much protein do you need? For the average sedentary adult, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is 0.4 grams of protein per pound of body weight (0.8g/kg). With vigorous activity, such as weight lifting, running or cycling, protein needs jump by about 25 to 50 percent above the RDA. Depending on training intensity and duration, a range of 0.55 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight (1.2 to 1.8 g/kg) is sufficient. A recreational adult athlete would fare better on the lower end of the range; whereas a more competitive adult would need closer to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. To date, there is no scientific evidence suggesting that protein intakes exceeding 0.9 grams per pound (2.0 g/kg) provide any additional benefit.