Am I getting enough protein?

If this is something you’ve ever asked yourself, you’re asking the wrong question.

Am I getting the right amount of protein?

Probably not.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably noticed that protein is a bit of a buzzword in the fitness community these days. Walk into any gym and it won’t take you long to hear the tell tale sound of a protein shaker. 

The average daily intake of protein in the UK is 88g for men and 64g for women, which is already over our daily requirements (1). Protein supplements in the form of shakes, powders or bars are just adding even more and bring no further nutritional benefits. Generally, most of that expensive extra protein you consume goes literally straight down the toilet.

So why are so many people using protein supplements?

If you ask gym-bro Rob why he chugs protein shakes like a man dying of thirst, he’ll probably start talking about building muscle and getting those gains. 

He’s not completely wrong, protein is an essential part of muscle synthesis but it’s not the only thing protein is needed for in your body.

Protein, sometimes referred to as a macronutrient, is one of the three main food groups in humans along with fats and carbohydrates.

Our body functions on proteins. Proteins control your hormone levels, how you digest your food, how you replicate your cells, how your hair and nails grow and of course the building and maintenance of muscles. For pretty much any process you can think of in your body, a protein is involved. There’s no denying it, we need protein.

Protein can be found in a wide range of food we eat. The most commonly known source is meat and dairy, often referred to as animal protein sources. Animal protein sources contain all the essential amino acids we need. However, this does come at a price as animal protein sources can often be higher in levels of saturated fats. 

Plant protein sources include things like soy, lentils, beans and pulses. Whilst a few plant sources have all the essential amino acids we need, most are lacking some.

Overall, the advice is that a healthy diet is a balance of plant and animal protein sources aiming to be low in saturated fat and sugars.

The Science

The protein we eat is digested by our body into amino acids. These amino acids are either broken down further into useful parts or used as they are. There are 21 types of amino acids. Our body can make 12 of them on it’s own. You’ve probably seen or heard adverts talking about food packed with essential amino acids. They’re talking about the 9 types we can’t make ourselves, we need to get them from our diet instead.

Is too much protein harmful?

Excess protein is something our body has to deal with all the time. Protein that cannot be used  Like most of the waste products in our body, our kidneys play a major role. They filter out any excess and waste products for excretion. 

This is where protein gets a bad name. One major concern by some protein supplement users is the effect on the kidneys. Be reassured, to date, no major studies show any link between high-protein diets and kidney damage in healthy individuals (2). 

The problem comes if you’re not healthy. Healthy kidneys can handle high-protein diets, unhealthy kidneys cannot. Experts suggest that those with underlying health conditions should not have high-protein diets.

Okay, so providing your healthy excess protein isn’t going to harm you. But is it going to help you? If you’re a healthy individual, going to the gym, doing exercise and trying to build muscle, perhaps more protein is the answer? Let’s look a bit deeper into the relationship between exercise and protein.

Exercise and Protein

Whilst proteins are used for a wide range of functions in our body we mostly think of it in terms of muscle building. This is referred to as muscle protein synthesis. Scientists have greatly studied the effects of exercise on muscle protein synthesis.

Our body is constantly in a cycle of protein breakdown and build-up (catabolism and anabolism). Exercise helps to stimulate protein turnover, leading to an increase in both breakdown and build-up of muscle. Exercise overall leaves us in a net negative protein balance- more is broken down, than created.

This seems counterintuitive, we’re told that exercise helps build muscle. How does that work when we’re left with less protein to build the muscle?

Exercise damages our muscles, it causes lots of micro-tears throughout the muscle fibre. Providing you don’t overdo it and pull a muscle, this is a good thing. Your body responds to this damage by repairing the muscle and building it back bigger and stronger in an attempt to stop future damage.

Still I said that exercise leaves us in a net negative protein balance, how can we repair muscle with no building blocks to do it? This is where dietary protein comes in. We need to feed our body protein to allow it to fluctuate back to a positive protein balance. 

I mentioned that exercise stimulates muscle synthesis. We want to capitalize on this effect and try and make as much muscle as we can while our body is set up to do so.

Ever noticed the gym-bros dosing up on their protein shakes the second they finish their set. Why can’t they just wait till they get home? 

They’re trying to hit something called  ‘the anabolic window’; the hour or so after training when muscles are believed to be most susceptible to protein intake. It’s an interesting idea, looking to capitalize on the muscular response to protein and aid in muscle protein synthesis. 

Research in this area can be a bit of a minefield. Studies are complicated and contradictory and most focus on highly trained individuals performing a large volume of resistance exercise; often not representative of the general population looking to improve their own fitness. 

A meta-analysis (a gold standard of research, an examination of all the studies on a topic, to try and determine an overall trend) looked closer at the idea of ‘the anabolic window’ (3). Whilst further research is always advised. They concluded that the timing of protein consumption is generally arbitrary. It was found that benefits seen in most studies were probably due to increased protein intake rather than when the protein was actually being consumed (4,5).

Basically, I’d say as long as you’re getting enough protein throughout the day, I wouldn’t worry about chugging protein shakes before you even hit the changing rooms.

But how much actually is enough? 

What the research says

Current nutrition research and government recommendations suggest that the average adult should have 0.75-1g of protein per kg of body weight. For example an average female weighing 70kg you would need 52.5g of protein per day for a healthy diet. This changes with gender, age and physical activity levels.

Person	Suggested grams of protein per kg bodyweight
Average adult	0.75-1
Child 7-10 years	1.2
Adolescent 10-14	1.0
Older adult 60+	1.2-1.5
Professional Athlete	1.2-1.6

So yes, an athlete who trains more than once a day should eat twice as much protein as the average person. Great. The thing is, the average person is already eating more than twice the amount of protein they need.

These are some great numbers but what does this actually mean?

Let’s put this protein into perspective a bit. The average 100g chicken breast has 32g of protein; that’s already half of your daily requirement of protein in just one singular chicken breast.

A typical protein day:

Meal	Food	Average protein per portion
Breakfast	Scrambled eggs (2 eggs) on wholemeal toastorCereal with semi-skimmed milk	12g 8-10g
Snack	A handful of mixed nuts	5g
Lunch	Tuna salad sandwich  Quinoa salad	16g
Snack	Greek yogurt with fruit	17g
Dinner	Spaghetti bolognese Traditional roast chicken dinner	30g 30-40g
Total	76-90g

The above values are simply a rough guide and will vary depending on things like portion size and brand.

Remember, with the average 70kg female and 80kg male requiring 52.5-70g and 60-80g of protein respectively, you can see how easy it can be to reach and exceed your daily protein target. Throw into the mix any other snacks and drinks you might have and you’re even more into a positive protein balance.

Are supplements ever the answer?

‘Supplement’: a thing added to something else to complete or enhance it

If you’re still wondering if you need to take protein supplements, just read the definition. Do you need supplements to complete your protein intake and bring it to the correct level?

If you do, then yes, supplements might be for you.

Supplements have a purpose and a place. They can be an excellent option for people who have high requirements of a particular nutrient and cannot fulfill this requirement from diet alone. Some people find them to be a quick and easy way to digest all the nutrients they need. 

As we’ve found out, excess protein is unlikely to harm you (unless you have an underlying medical condition). So if you take supplements and you’re already getting more than enough protein in your diet it’s not going to hurt you. You will however, most likely flush all the expensive extra protein down the toilet after it’s passed through your kidneys.

Final Thoughts

Protein is a hot topic and it’s not going to go away anytime soon. We all need protein as part of a healthy diet and we can get that protein from a variety of sources. 

Exercise and the effects of protein are interesting and provide an excellent base for sport science research; looking to maximise athletic performance and results with correct nutrition.

However, with all the talk of muscle protein synthesis and anabolic windows remember that, unless you’re a professional athlete training several times a day, the likelihood is you’re already getting more than enough protein in your diet.

So do I need a protein shake?

Chances are no, you don’t.

Will it harm me to have a protein shake?

Probably not, but it might upset your bank balance.

References:

1. British Nutrition Foundation 2019: Protein, retrieved from https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/nutrients-food-and-ingredients/protein.html?start=4

2. Martin, W. F., Armstrong, L. E., & Rodriguez, N. R. (2005). Dietary protein intake and renal function. Nutrition & metabolism, 2, 25. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-2-25

3. Schoenfeld, B. J, Aragon, A., Krieger, J. (2013) The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition volumen10, Article number: 53 

4. Schoenfeld, B. J., Aragon, A., Wilborn, C., Urbina, S. L., Hayward, S. E., & Krieger, J. (2017). Pre- versus post-exercise protein intake has similar effects on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 5, e2825. doi:10.7717/peerj.2825

5. Aragon, A. A., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2013). Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window?. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(1), 5. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-10-5