Tuesday, November 25, 2014

If You Weight Train, Eating Too Much Protein Won't Make You Fat




In a recent study conducted by Nova Southeastern University, researchers evaluated the effects of different protein levels on body composition on resistant-trained men and women and found that extremely high levels of protein had no significant effects on fat gain or body composition. This led to the conclusion that eating too much protein won't actually lead to fat and weight gain, contrary to what nutritionists believe.

Experts believe that eating too much protein will lead to fat gain

It is not exactly clear if eating too much protein specifically will result in body fat gains, as overfeeding in general will lead to body weight and fat mass gain. For example, in a different study, overfeeding on candy versus peanuts showed that fat gains increased only in the candy group compared to the peanuts group. Overfeeding on sugar resulted in fat gains, while the effects of overfeeding protein is still unclear. However, there have been lots of articles and rumors on the Internet commenting that overfeeding on protein will lead to fat gain.

University of Maryland's Coordinator of Nutritional Services, Jane Jakubczak, MPH, LDN gave her views on over-consuming calories (including protein) and how that would lead to fat gain. As an example, many professional nutritionists believe that consuming a high level of protein daily will have a negative effect on the human body. However, there has not been many research on this topic, and so this study tried to address that common myth with its results.




Resistant-trained subjects who ate absurdly high amounts of protein maintained or lost body fat after eight weeks

There has been a lack of research when it comes to the effects of exceeding high levels of protein (2.0g/kg per day) for the physically active, and so this study investigates what it really means to be 'high protein', giving subjects more than double that amount, 4.4g/kg per day.

The methods of this study were as following: thirty resistance-trained volunteered for this investigation, and were randomized to a control (CON=10) and high protein diet (HP n=20) group. Participants were healthy resistance-trained men and women who had been training regularly for at least 7+ years, with at least 3+ hours every week.

Individuals in the control group were instructed to maintain the same dietary and training habits over the time period of the study. However, the subjects in the HP group were instructed to consume 4.4 g per kilogram of body weight per day (4.4 g/kg/d). All procedures were approved by the University's Board, and consent was given prior to the study.

Subjects kept a daily diary of their food intake and training regimen via a smartphone app (MyFitnessPal), and used that to monitor their daily protein intake. Before the study, all participants' total body weight were measured approximately the same time of day.

After 8 weeks of participation, with statistical analysis of p< .05, results showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups for any of the baseline measures. Fat gain and body composition were about equal in both groups, even though one group had much higher protein intake than the other.



And so, consuming 5.5 times the recommended daily allowance of protein did not have a significant effect on body composition in resistance-trained individuals who maintained the same training regimen. This study was the first to demonstrate that consuming a hypercaloric(consuming more calories than burned) did not result in an increase in body fat.

Protein contributes to gains in lean body mass but not fat mass

From the results of this study, it can be concluded that excess calories from protein do not turn into fat like carbohydrates do. When too much carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and sugary foods are consumed, the extra calories metabolize into fat. But from this study, protein does not behave in the same way as carbohydrates do, as extra calories of protein did not metabolize into fat.

From another recent study, subjects who were treated to low, medium, and high levels of protein all had equal amounts of fat gain; however, lean body mass decreased in the low protein group in contrast to medium and high protein groups. This shows that eating extra calories will result in a gain in body fat, but overfeeding on protein will also result in an increase in lean body mass.

It should be noted also that the subjects in this particular study were all participating in resistance training, and many of the past studies involved subjects who did not do so. And so it is interesting to see that just by adding weights to exercise regimens, protein and other macronutrients like carbohydrates and fats will have a different effect on those who weight train compared to those who do not. Perhaps the subjects in this study metabolized and synthesized protein differently than others.

While carbohydrates and calories should not be consumed in excess, a balance of all macronutrients is indeed recommended by many nutritionists. Eating a balanced meal can be vital in an individual's overall health and well-being.

When asked about nutritional balance in terms of protein levels, Jakubczak agrees that the daily protein recommendation levels are indeed low for the general public, and that an increase of protein level should be encouraged for optimal health diets.




The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein by US may be inadequate for physically active individuals

Protein is a vital part of nutrition that can affect an individual's body composition. There has been multiple protein level intake recommendations by various institutes over the years, with US recommending .8g/kg per day. Statistics show that the average protein intake for adults is about 1.0g/kg per day, which is slightly higher than the RDA. However, since this is for the average adults, this level may not be adequate for the physically active individuals.

For those who engage in exercise/sport training for several hours a week, a higher protein level intake may be recommended.  Consuming more protein than the RDA may be considered a 'high' intake of protein, and according to the Position Stand by the International Society of Sports Nutrition, "intakes of 1.4-2.0g/kg per day are needed for physically active individuals. Therefore, for the sake of this study, any diet that exceeds 2.9g/kg per day of protein is considered to be 'high' protein intake.

Maryland's Jakubczak commented that higher levels of protein are needed for the physically active, because protein is a huge part of reconstructing muscle tissues for full recovery. And so, this study showed that when men and women are training with resistance, even absurdly high amounts of protein will not actually lead to fat gain.





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Protein is a vital macronutrient that leads to growth, muscle building, repair, and other important bodily functions

Consumption of dietary protein is extremely important to resistance-trained individuals, since protein packs the necessary nutrients needed to rebuild muscle tissues when they are torn up during resistance training.

Protein sources include:
  • Meat such as chicken, beef, pork
  • Fish
  • Tofu
  • Eggs
  • Yogurt
  • Beans
  • Cheese

Many researchers have pondered what the effects of different protein levels on body compositions are, including how high of a protein level consumption is needed for health benefits. We have seen that super high levels of protein won't lead to fat gain, but the exact level for maximum results is still unknown.

Resistance training shows multiple benefits for all ages in physical and mental health

This study involved participants who all engaged in resistance training, and that may be the reason as to why they did not gain fat while consuming high amounts of protein. Studies have shown that resistance training is extremely beneficial to the human body in multiple ways, and should be encouraged by all to take part in.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular strength training can be very powerful in reducing the signs and symptoms of numerous diseases an chronic conditions, including:

  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Osteoporosis
  • Obesity
  • Back pain
  • Depression

And so, resistance training may be the foundation for weight and fat levels control, as all participants in the study who participated in resistance training did not show significant increase in body weight or fat. With the proper exercise regimen and healthy diet habits, eating too much protein may not affect your body composition as much as you think.

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