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Another Protein Myth
Intuitively, it makes sense: The bigger you are, the more protein you need. So what if this is wrong? In fact, there's good reason to believe it is.
Dr. Stu Phillips (PhD) of McMaster University in Canada is one of the leading protein nutrition researchers in the world. Phillips explains that one of the most important factors determining the protein synthetic response to dietary protein is blood volume. "Protein synthetic response" refers to the increase in muscle protein synthesis (MPS) that occurs when you eat protein. The greater the MPS response, the more muscle your body will potentially gain, particularly when it happens after resistance exercise.
After you have a Muscle Provider or Ultimate Muscle Protein protein shake, for instance, the amino acids that make up the protein are absorbed into your bloodstream. The faster your blood amino acid levels rise, the greater will be MPS response. Again, that's good for building muscle.
The larger your blood volume, the smaller will be the rise in amino acid levels after eating a given amount of protein. This makes sense: Because your pool of blood is larger, it will take more protein to fill up the "pool". Now here's the catch: The blood volume of, say, a 170-lb person isn't all that different from that of, say, a 210-lb person. At least, the difference is not enough to affect the MPS response, says Phillips. He explains: "If you distribute a 20-g load of protein in 3.5 liters of blood versus, say, 3.7 or 3.8 liters of blood (where the latter might be representative of a larger individual), the MPS response won't be that much different."
Some readers might argue that a larger individual, particularly if he or she is a bodybuilder, might carry more muscle mass and therefore have a greater need for dietary protein to supply his ongoing muscle-building needs. After all, muscle tissue consists of a fair amount of protein. While this is true, studies conducted by Phillips and his colleagues suggest that the difference again will be small.
Whereas a 170-lb bodybuilder might be able to stimulate MPS maximally with a 20-g dose of protein, for instance, this dose might need to be increased to only 24 or 25 g in the case of a 210-lb bodybuilder. The bottom line: Larger people may require slightly more protein, but the difference is not nearly as great as some "experts" think and many supplement companies would like you to believe. (Hence the "60 g of protein per serving!" claims found on some products, where one "serving" equals two or more scoops.)
How can you use this information? (It's a lot to grasp, we know.) Well, scientific studies continue to show that approximately 20 g of high-quality protein (most studies have used whey) is sufficient to stimulate muscle protein synthesis maximally. Even if you're large and carry a lot of muscle, you may only need a few more grams to do the trick -not 10, 20 or 30. But...that shouldn't stop you from having 2 scoops of Muscle Provider or Ultimate Muscle Protein (or another piece of chicken, can of tuna, etc.) if you desire. The extra protein can increase thermogenesis (fat-burning), and it serves as a perfectly healthy source of calories, much better than any other popular convenience food. You've got to eat something, right? |
