Best time to consume protein to for ATHLETES AND SPORTS PERSON
Dr. Jeethan Bendoor
M.B.B.S.
Private Practitioner, Metabolic and Anti-ageing Enthusiast, Mumbai
Correspondence: E-mail: drbendoor@gmail.com
Optimal daily protein intake for athletes
There is a lot of debate on the "optimal intake of protein for athletes".
What I gather from debates is that athletes require more protein than healthy sedentary persons; the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day (1).
However, what is interesting is that the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation (IAAO) technique indicates that on training days, female athletes required 1.4–1.7 g/kg;(2, 3) the day following a regular training session, male endurance athletes required 2.1–2.7 g/kg;(4) two days after their last resistance-training session, amateur male bodybuilders required 1.7–2.2 g/kg. (5) These recommendations make more sense to me!
When Should Athletes Consume Protein
If you have a meal before training, ensure it is protein-rich.
My advice, would be based on a recent publication in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (6): the authors suggested that protein intakes of 20-40g both before (one to two hours pre-) and after training (one to two hours post-) were optimal for building muscle in athletes and sports persons.
Please note: Please do consult a physician who is well-versed with the physiology/science of muscle, and please do perform routine tests to measure metabolic issues as well as kidney function.
References:
1) Jäger R, et al. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2017) 14:20 DOI 10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
2) Wooding DJ, Packer JE, Kato H, West DWD, Courtney-Martin G, Pencharz PB, Moore DR Increased Protein Requirements in Female Athletes after Variable-Intensity Exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. (2017 Nov).
3) Malowany JM, West DWD, Williamson E, Volterman KA, Abou Sawan S, Mazzulla M, Moore DR Protein to Maximize Whole-Body Anabolism in Resistance-trained Females after Exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. (2019 Apr).
4) Bandegan A, Courtney-Martin G, Rafii M, Pencharz PB, Lemon PWR Indicator amino acid oxidation protein requirement estimate in endurance-trained men 24 h postexercise exceeds both the EAR and current athlete guidelines. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. (2019 May 1).
5)Bandegan A, Courtney-Martin G, Rafii M, Pencharz PB, Lemon PW Indicator Amino Acid-Derived Estimate of Dietary Protein Requirement for Male Bodybuilders on a Nontraining Day Is Several-Fold Greater than the Current Recommended Dietary Allowance. J Nutr. (2017 May)
6) Aragon AA, et al. Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition volume 10, Article number: 5 (2013).
