Does protein help us lose weight? Does eating protein damage our kidneys? Should we eat meat? Is plant protein better than animal protein? Does protein intake cause bone loss? How much protein should we eat during weight loss?
Protein
101
Protein is
one of the three macronutrients which also includes fats and
carbohydrates. Protein is made of Amino
Acids. Amino acids are basically the
building blocks your body needs to create and maintain your internal organs,
skin, bone, and muscle. They can be
mixed together and broken apart and re-assembled in many ways for many
different purposes in our bodies.
Our bodies
have very limited ability to store amino acids, and protein is constantly being
used, recycled, and excreted from the body.
If we do not obtain enough protein the body will take it from tissues
such as muscles which have a high protein content. We need to constantly eat protein on a
regular basis. Without enough body
tissues begin to break down.
In addition,
all the enzymes (which do all the chemical “lifting” in all the cells of the
body) are made of protein so protein.
For example, all our major internally produced anti-oxidants are protein
based so proper protein intake is absolutely critical for proper physiological
function.
So How Much Protein Do You Need?
The RDA
(Recommended Daily Allowance) for protein intake (which is the MINIMUM
recommended protein intake to prevent overt disease)- is .8 Grams per kilogram
of bodyweight. For example, for a 165 lbs.
person (75 kilograms) the RDA for Protein would be 75 X .8 = 60 grams of
protein per day. To give you some
context this equal to 10 eggs or about 9 ounces of cooked skinless chicken
breast.
The RDA
is a starting point, but it is a minimum and does not reflect what we need to
be in optimal health. It also does not take into account other
factors which strongly influence protein needs including:
How many calories we are eating
relative to what we are burning. When calorie
intake is below calorie burning - our protein needs - as a percentage of total
calories - go up. The opposite is true if we are eating more than we are
burning. This means that when we are
focused on reducing bodyfat we need to increase our protein intake significantly. When we lose weight we lose some muscle, and
minimizing or preventing the loss of muscle and other lean tissue is critical
to our health and looking and feeling better from weight loss!
Muscle mass burns
more calories all the time – even during rest.
If you lose significant amounts of muscle our metabolic rate slows down
meaning you MUST eat less to maintain your bodyweight which is no fun!
Aging results
in greater muscle loss through a process called sarcopenia and is one of the main
reasons older people lose the ability to care for themselves and is the key
driver of falls in the elderly!
Muscle mass
is critical for optimal metabolic function and in particular keeping blood
sugar under control which is linked to the prevention and treatment of adult-onset
diabetes.
Muscle mass
is what gives our body shape and attractive curves.
Muscle mass
and strength training is linked to bone health and the prevention of
osteoporosis!
Our Carbohydrate Intake – the lower carb we eat the more
protein we tend to need as a percentage of total calories.
Our sex – men tend to have higher protein
needs than woman because they naturally tend to have higher muscle mass. The exception is during pregnancy when woman
need way more protein for the growing fetus!
Our age – as we get older (over 60) our
daily protein requirements go up substantially because we absorb less of what
we eat. For older adults getting enough
protein is critical to minimize sarcopenia (loss of muscle).
How Active We are – the higher our activity levels the
more protein (and overall calories) we need.
Based on all
these factors protein needs for different people can range widely from .375
grams per kilogram of bodyweight to over 2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight!
Is High Protein Intake Bad for You?
Although the
media likes to make a big deal about high protein intake hurting kidneys and
bones this is VERY misleading. This all
comes from misapplied information. Damaged
kidneys cannot tolerate much protein and so high protein intake for folks with
kidney issues is not a good a thing. That
is NOT the same as a person with no kidney damage, and there is NO evidence
that protein harms normal kidneys!
This is like
comparing jogging with a broken leg to jogging with a normal uninjured leg. Jogging on a broken leg is a terrible idea,
but running and jumping on a healthy leg strengthens it!
Same deal
for protein intake and osteoporosis. This
myth comes from the fact that eating high levels of protein – in proportion to
other macronutrients - increases calcium excretion in urine. This made people think that the calcium
excretion meant there was bone loss, but that is NOT the case.
In fact,
research has shown that woman between 55 and 92 who eat more protein have
higher bone density so eating more protein improves bone density in the
population most at risk for osteoporosis!
Combine it with resistance training and you get an even better
protective effect.
So How Much Protein Should We Eat
During Weight Loss?
Higher protein intake during fat loss/weight loss is critical for
maintaining lean mass and minimizing or preventing loss of muscle so that
weight loss is restricted to reducing bodyfat.
In a meta-analysis of multiple studies, the amount of protein needed to
preserve lean mass during weight loss was found to be a minimum of 1.3 grams of
protein per kilogram of bodyweight. This
equates to about .6 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. For example, a 180lbs man this would be .6
X 180 = 108 grams of protein.
However higher amounts are even better!
A short-term study showed that if you increase protein
intake to 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight you can dramatically cut
calorie intake by 40% and actually GAIN lean mass while losing fat mass! To make this simple to optimize results shoot
for 1 gram of protein per pounds of bodyweight each day when focusing on fat
loss and/or muscle gain.
How do we make sure we get enough protein
during weight loss?
Prioritize protein intake during each meal and snack. A
good rule is to divide your ideal protein intake by four meals/snacks. For example, for 160lbs person that would be
four servings of 40 grams of protein each.
Fill the rest of the plate with some healthy carbs and fats.
Here is a link to a list of high protein foods along with quantities: https://shorturl.at/foAFM
As you will see animal proteins have much higher protein per ounce eaten. In addition animal based proteins like meat,
fish, poultry, eggs, milk and yogurt contain all the essential amino acids
which is what your body needs to build muscle and lean mass. You can combine different plant-based
sources such as beans and rice to obtain all the essential amino acids but when
you look at how much you need to eat – it becomes very challenging to optimize
your protein intake solely with plant-based proteins.
What about Protein Shakes and Powders
Protein Shakes/Powders can be a great source of complete protein in a low
calorie, convenient meal or snack. For
people with sensitive digestive tracts or who have difficulty when consuming these
products try a pure whey protein hydrolysate.
These proteins are essentially a pre-digested protein that is quick and
easy to absorb. A great example is Dymatize
ISO 100 – that tastes incredible! You
can find this on Amazon and at Vitamin Shoppe.
Another great choice is Optimal Amino.
This is an essential amino acid supplement that is optimized so that
there is 99% utilization. This provides the equivalent of two to four
times the protein building effects of other protein sources so is great for
those struggling to get enough protein without feeling bloated – www.optimalamino.com
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