Is it possible to consume proteins uncontrollably, what can be the consequences of this? Here are the questions we will try to answer in this article. The content of the article:
- Excess protein
- Consumption rate
Most athletes know that protein is very important for building new muscle tissue, but protein should be consumed in certain amounts. At the same time, protein compounds are necessary not only for muscle tissue. In addition, the muscles of the internal organs also need amino acids, which are part of proteins. The same heart is, in fact, a muscle, and appropriate amino acid compounds are required for its normal functioning.
If we approach this issue as accurately as possible, then every element of the human body has a need for protein compounds. This is due to the fact that the body is not able to create a reserve of proteins, as is the case with carbohydrates, which are deposited in the form of fat cells.
Today we will try to figure out what the consequences of protein abuse can be. You can often hear the opinion that if you consume very few extra proteins, then there will be nothing wrong with that. If this happens very rarely, then the body will be able to cope with the excess of proteins. It is much worse when the "overeating" of this macronutrient occurs constantly.
Excess protein when exercising
According to the recommendations of doctors, the average daily protein intake is from 1, 3 to 1, 7 grams for each kilogram of the athlete's body. This norm is suitable for amateurs and ordinary people. Professionals certainly need more protein, and in this case, the average daily intake is already from 1.8 to 2.3 grams per kilogram of body weight. For representatives of different sports, these numbers may differ, but not significantly.
Scientists managed to establish what happens when there is an excess of protein compounds in the body. Excess protein is sent to the liver, where it is processed into glucose. The substance obtained in this way is sent to muscle tissue, where it becomes glycogen or turns into fatty deposits.
With a high content of protein compounds in the body, a large load falls on the kidneys, which need to remove all by-products of the breakdown of protein compounds. From this it can be concluded that by consuming more protein, the athlete does not receive absolutely any benefit from it. In addition, the body can be harmed if the excess protein becomes permanent.
It is always important to remember the norms of consumption of any substance. The body strives for balance in everything, and with an excessive level of one element, it has to make great efforts to eliminate this imbalance. To determine the required rate of protein compounds throughout the day, you can contact a specialist or use a special calculator, of which there are a lot on the network.
Average daily protein intake for athletes
The consequences of overusing protein are significantly different from a lack of it. It is often quite difficult for athletes to find this line, despite the above methods of determining the consumption rate.
You should start with the recommendations of various health organizations that make up the consumption rates of each macronutrient for the average person. Sometimes they are very underestimated, and it is not entirely clear where these figures were taken from. You can find information and quite often that it is enough to consume 56 grams of protein compounds per day. By and large, this may not be enough even for a simple healthy man, not to mention athletes.
If you look at the numbers provided above, it turns out that about 0.5 g of protein should be consumed per kilogram of body weight. Maybe this figure is suitable for those people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. But for active people and even more so for athletes, this is extremely small. The figure of 1 gram for every kilogram of dry body weight looks much better. Particular attention should be paid to the word "dry". This means that the calculation does not take into account the mass of subcutaneous fat.
For amateur athletes, we can safely recommend the use of about two grams of protein compounds during the day. This is enough for intensive training. This may not be enough for professionals. However, for PRO athletes, individual nutrition programs are drawn up, and now we are not talking about them.
It has already been said above that with an excess of protein in the body, the liver and kidneys begin to work actively. But international standards do not yet provide for a boundary when exceeding the level of protein compounds will cause nausea, headaches or other negative consequences. To date, there have been no studies that would make it possible to say for sure that a certain amount of protein can harm the body. Another thing is that an overabundance of macronutrients will not be beneficial.
We can say with complete confidence that all the recommendations of nutritionists available today apply to people who do not lead an active lifestyle. For them, an overabundance of protein compounds means the accumulation of subcutaneous fat and nothing else.
The main task of athletes is to formulate an optimal and balanced nutrition program. It must include the amount of protein that is correctly correlated with the body weight and muscle mass of the athlete. In this case, one should also remember about the total calorie content of the diet. After all, an increase in this indicator will also not be beneficial. Yes, and eating a lot of protein will definitely not improve your well-being. After all, for this you will have to reduce the amount of other macronutrients - fats and carbohydrates.
Watch a video about protein intake by athletes:
Of course, the question of what are the consequences of protein abuse can be very relevant for athletes. Until research has been done, it is worth sticking to the recommendations that were given in this article.
