Everyone knows that athletes need to consume more protein than ordinary people. Learn the secrets of protein intake to make your workout more effective. Very often you can find advice that one meal should consume from 30 to 50 grams of protein and no more. This is motivated by the body's inability to process more. It's time to look into this issue. Indeed, for athletes, the question - what is the rate of assimilation of proteins at one time, is very relevant.
It should be noted right away that the above amount of protein intake is indicated without taking into account the person's weight and other factors. At the same time, the body is able to process significantly more protein compounds than most people think. By and large, there is scientific evidence for this, but first things first.
Initial stage of protein processing
Before moving on to specific numbers, you should briefly recall the very process of processing protein by the body. Of course, this is a very complex process and it makes no sense to describe it completely, but a quick excursion into this topic will definitely not be superfluous.
Most people know that the digestive process begins in the mouth, where saliva enzymes act on food. After grinding food with teeth and pretreatment, it enters the stomach, where the main process of digestion begins.
The epithelial tissue of the stomach produces gastric juice, which is based on hydrochloric acid, as well as sodium and potassium chlorides. Thanks to these acids, the disintegration (or denaturation) of the molecules of protein compounds begins, and the synthesis of special enzymes is also triggered. One of the main digestive enzymes is peptin. Athletes who consume a large number of protein compounds are recommended to include this substance in their nutrition program. But here everything is not so simple and such a recommendation raises a lot of questions, answers to which, as a rule, are absent.
The final stage of processing protein compounds
During denaturation of protein compounds, they are broken down into simpler substances called polypeptide molecules and sent to the intestines. Almost all protein is finally processed in the duodenum, where amino acid compounds are also absorbed into the blood. Digestion of food in the duodenum occurs under the action of proteolytic enzymes that break down polypeptides into tripeptides and free amino acid compounds.
The last step in protein processing takes place in the liver, where free amino acid compounds are delivered through the bloodstream. In this organ, amino acid compounds are used in various metabolic processes.
Protein dosage
Remembering the process of processing proteins, you can turn your attention to existing hypotheses and experiments that tell us what the rate of protein absorption at one time. At the same time, now the conversation is only about the amount of protein compounds that the body is able to assimilate. The dose of protein required for the synthesis of protein in the muscles is now out of the question. It should be remembered that the processes of digestion and protein synthesis in muscles are different chemical reactions, although many people consider them interchangeable terms.
The rate of protein intake, which was mentioned at the beginning of the article, has no justification either from the point of view of biochemistry, or from evolutionary one. If we assume that the body is able to consume only 30 to 50 grams of protein compounds per meal, then everything taken in excess of this limit will be excreted from the body.
It is even difficult to imagine that the body, instead of processing "excess" protein compounds, simply sends them to the large intestine for subsequent excretion. In addition, there is no medical literature that would support such a hypothesis. In fact, the scientific and medical literature claims that the body can easily assimilate more protein compounds, but this process will be longer in time.
Actually, this is what happens in practice. Excess protein compounds exceeding the norm of 30-50 grams do not enter the large intestine. The body is able to regulate the speed of digestive processes using a simple but effective method - the passage of a lump of food through the stomach slows down. Simply put, food is in the stomach for a longer period of time, which increases the entire duration of the digestion process.
Those who like to consume a lot of things at once may ask - will the body be able to accept and process, for example, 250 grams of protein compounds? Of course, he is capable of this, but the question is how many protein compounds from this accepted amount will be used for "good purposes". Proteins can be converted into fats, but such processes are not highly efficient and the significance of such conversion is very small. With a high degree of probability, we can say that the main part of protein compounds will be directed by the body not to increase the anabolic background or protein synthesis in muscle tissues, but will be stored by the liver in the form of glycogen
Thus, we can say that the body will be able to accept any amount of protein compounds, and, therefore, you can consume a lot of protein. However, you should not rush to extremes. There is absolutely no need to load the body with unnecessary work.
Today we talked about the rate of assimilation of proteins in one meal, as well as the amount of protein that will be processed by the body after one meal. It must be said that additional protein compounds should be taken in those moments when you really need them. The body has a very complex chemical mechanism and it will find an opportunity where to use excess proteins. Just don't force him to do useless work.
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