About This Project

Protein is often thought to be a workout necessity, the essential complement to every gym bag. Missing protein during the post-workout anabolic window is viewed as unfortunate, if not detrimental to one’s training goals. However, the scientific literature on this subject isn’t quite so black and white. New methods of measuring protein synthesis may challenge the high-protein paradigm among active individuals and athletes, giving rise to a more optimal diet to enhance performance.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

If you ask typical gym-goers how much protein they need each day, chances are you will get a variety of answers. The same goes if you ask when the best time is to take said protein. Apart from media influence, a key reason such confusion exists is that scientific literature has no clear answer to either question. The most widely accepted recommendations for active individuals are that daily protein ingestions should be higher (1.4 grams of protein per kg body weight per day for individuals involved in endurance exercise, and 1.8 g/kg/day for those involved in strength and power training), and that protein should be supplemented immediately after a workout. The reality is that studies have in fact generated a wide range of results from 0.8 to 3 g/kg/day!

What is the significance of this project?

The purpose of this research is to measure muscle metabolic processes using a relatively new but established method of deuterium oxide labeling. These methods will allow determination of how protein can be optimally utilized to improve body composition in individuals who are exercising regularly. It is likely that these new methods will challenge the high-protein paradigm that is currently accepted among active individuals and athletes, giving rise to a more optimal diet to enhance health as well as performance. The results of this study and the validation of these methods in humans will be extremely valuable in future studies examining compromised muscle function such as space flight simulation, AIDS- and cancer-related muscle loss, age-related muscle loss, etc.

What are the goals of the project?

To determine whether protein needs are in fact elevated and whether timing of supplementation affects protein use in muscle, subjects in this study will ingest either low or high daily protein (1 vs. 2 g/kg/day), and they will supplement either immediately or delayed post-exercise (0 vs. 3 hours post-exercise). Ten subjects will serve as baseline controls, exercising and eating as usual. Subjects will complete a 2-week familiarization period to adjust to the prescribed exercise and nutrition protocols, undergo baseline strength, power, and body composition testing, and then complete the 2-week exercise+supplementation period. Muscle biopsies and deuterium tracer administration will occur during the final days to measure muscle metabolism over the entire post-exercise recovery period.