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Beverly International E-Newsletter #15
Build muscle, burn calories, control your appetite and fight aging! We've got the answer!
What single nutrient will allow you to build lean muscle, burn more calories, get better control of your appetite and fight aging? It's protein, the focus of the 15th issue of BI's e-newsletter, sent to consumers around the world who want to stay on the cutting edge of bodybuilding supplementation.
The Secret to Successful Aging
Protein is arguably the most versatile macronutrient in the diet. The other two, carbohydrate and fat, don't seem nearly as sexy by comparison. Protein is needed to build lean muscle, of course, but it is also more thermogenic and satiating than carbs or fat. In other words, protein stimulates your metabolism and helps you avoid overeating.
Protein has even been called the "secret" to successful aging, in an article recently published in the Calgary Herald, a Canadian newspaper (1). The author, a dietitian, referred to studies conducted by University of Texas researcher Dr. Douglas Paddon-Jones (PhD) which suggest that eating 20-30 g of high-quality protein at every meal can help you maximize lean muscle mass as you get older, even if you don't exercise.
Paddon-Jones and colleagues (2) found that feeding healthy young (avg. age 34 yr) and elderly (68 yr) subjects a 113-g serving of 90% lean beef providing 30 g of protein boosted protein synthesis in their muscles by 50% at rest. Increasing the serving size to 350 g (providing 90 g of protein) produced no further increase in protein synthesis. According to the author of the newspaper article, Paddon-Jones' team also found that eating less than 20 g of protein blunted the increase in muscle protein synthesis.
Bodybuilders have been saying this all along
As discussed in issue 1 of this newsletter (available in the e-newsletter archive), studies performed to date indicate that eating 20-30 g of high-quality protein every 3-5 hours is probably ideal. Scientists with whom BI has spoken, including Paddon-Jones, say that you can probably maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis at most 5-6 times a day using 20 g of protein. With 21 g of the world's very best protein per scoop, BI's MUSCLE PROVIDER makes achieving this both convenient and more enjoyable.
Ironically, bodybuilders have said for years that 30 g of protein is probably the maximum amount that can be effectively put to muscle-building use in a single meal, and eating several smaller protein meals a day is better than one or two larger ones. Now we have the science to back up what they've "known" all along!
Learn more about MUSCLE PROVIDER by reading our FREE educational hand-out or order it NOW online! |
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Morning & Afternoon Muscle-Building Meal Tips
It's not easy getting 20-30 g of high-quality protein every 3-5 hours, especially in the morning and afternoon. In the morning you're in a rush, and in the afternoon you're on the go.
For a quick breakfast, consider cooking oatmeal in the microwave (1-2 servings, depending on your needs). Once the oatmeal has cooled down enough to eat, top it off with a scoop of vanilla MUSCLE PROVIDER or ULTIMATE MUSCLE PROTEIN. You'll get all the protein you need to maximize muscle protein synthesis. Plus, BI's delicious proteins make the normally bland oatmeal taste addictively good. For additional healthy carbs and fiber, finish the meal with a freshly sliced orange or grapefruit.
For a quick protein blast at lunch or any time in the afternoon, prepare a MUSCLE PROVIDER or ULTIMATE MUSCLE PROTEIN shake the night before and freeze it overnight. Take it with you to school or the office. By the time you're ready to drink it, it will have thawed out and be potent and ready to enjoy.
Learn more about ULTIMATE MUSCLE PROTEIN by reading our FREE educational hand-out, or order it NOW online! |
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Whey may help control blood pressure
Researchers at John Hopkins University found that losartan, a drug used to lower blood pressure, reduced muscle atrophy in aged mice whose hindlimbs were immobilized (3). Will losartan help humans fight off the muscle-shrinking effects of aging? Time will tell.
In the mean time, research suggests that whey protein, too, may support healthy blood pressure as it allows us to reduce muscle loss caused by aging. Raatz et al. (4) examined the impact of varying the dietary source of protein on weight loss and blood pressure. Eighteen healthy, 40-60 year-old subjects were randomly assigned to one of three diets. After 20 weeks, the group that ate a diet including whey protein supplements experienced an average decrease in systolic blood pressure of 7.2 mm Hg. This was double the reduction in systolic blood pressure observed in the group that consumed a mixture of proteins not including whey.
SUMMARY: PROTEIN SPOTLIGHT
(1) Available scientific evidence suggests that 20-30 grams of high-quality (namely, dairy or beef) protein is enough to maximize protein synthesis in muscles. To build muscle, you need to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
(2) Eating less than 20 g of protein may produce sub-maximal increases in muscle protein synthesis, possibly leading to loss of muscle mass and strength over the long term.
(3) Eating more than 30 g of protein is unlikely to produce further increases in muscle protein synthesis. Some scientists suggest that protein synthesis is maximized at lower doses, closer to 20 g.
(4) Once protein synthesis is maximized in your muscles, they remain resistant to further stimulation for 3-5 hours. This is why you are advised to eat 20-30 g of protein every 3-5 hours.
(5) Note that the statements in (4), above, do not mean that you have to get up in the night to eat protein. "Every 3-5 hours" applies to waking hours only. You need your beauty sleep.
(6) Besides helping you build muscle, burn calories (via increased thermogenesis) and control your appetite, whey protein may also support blood pressure within the healthy range.
(7) More research is needed to determine if beef, eggs, chicken, fish or other food proteins will maximize muscle protein synthesis as efficiently as whey or casein (including caseinate), the two most studied proteins in recent times.
(8) That being said (7, above), you can't just live off whey- and/or casein-containing protein supplements. Use whole foods to obtain the bulk of your protein and calories. Add supplements whenever you're pressed for time or just don't feel like preparing a regular meal.
(9) Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are popular protein-rich foods. Depending on the brand, plain Greek yogurt can contain 23 g of protein and 9 g of carbs per cup. The same serving size of nonfat cottage cheese may contain 28 g of protein and roughly the same amount of carbs.
(10) If you're concerned about sodium, then you may want to steer clear of cottage cheese. A one-cup serving may load you with well over 500 mg of sodium. While Greek yogurt may seem like the better choice, always read the label before buying. Some types are sweetened with extra sugar. For instance, Yoplait offers consumers a fruit-flavored Greek yogurt that has 20 g of sugar and 14 g of protein per serving. A better option may be to go with a plain (unsweetened) variety of Greek yogurt and, to jazz up the taste, sprinkle it with vanilla (or chocolate, if you like) MUSCLE PROVIDER or ULTIMATE MUSCLE PROTEIN.
REFERENCES
1. Calgary Herald
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19699838
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21562229
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21419314 |
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