We know that carbs are king. Endless studies show that carbs enhance endurance performance time and time again. But is there a place for the other macronutrients during exercise? Companies like Näak are paving the way in the sports nutrition space in exploring this possibility. Is there significant science to show that other nutrients play a role in long endurance events? Let's find out..
Protein plays a key role in our overall health. Especially as athletes, we need sufficient amounts to push ourselves day in and day out. Protein is the primary macronutrient responsible for anabolism, or growing tissue. As we age, protein becomes even more important to hold on to lean muscle which is a catalyst for preserving a healthy metabolism and strength. There has been a big emphasis on protein intake this last decade and a lot of sound science can help us understand that we need more than we once thought. Fitting in enough protein can be tough when the recommendation is now near 1g of protein per pound of body weight or upwards of 2.2g of protein per kilogram for very active individuals. After workouts is especially important to fit in protein, as our body is working hard to repair damaged muscle tissue.
My biggest interest in the notion that we need protein during exercise is in the ultra running space. Since we need so much protein per day, shouldn't we consume at least a little if we're racing for 10+ hours to ensure we intake sufficient amounts during that day? Because racing is especially hard on the body, it would seem especially paramount to hit your target numbers the day of the race, and realistically, with the lack of appetite after an ultra race and likely light breakfast before an ultra race, plus the 5-24 hours that the ultramarathon might take depending on the distance, you likely won't hit your protein needs.
Why haven't nutritionist been recommending protein intake during ultramarathons then? Differing from carbs, protein isn't as easy to digest. Because of the complex nature of protein metabolism, it can slow digestion. Protein is so taxing to digest in fact, that it takes 20-30 calories to metabolize 100 calories of protein. This isn't ideal when your body is struggling to digest anything already. Is there an amount that is tolerable though? That is what I am aiming to find out.
In this first study here researchers found that up to two hours of hard cycling, no difference was found between the group that ingested just carbs versus the group that ingested carbs with protein. This study suggests that for events up to two hours or less, there is probably no need to intake protein. Plus, with the intensity of those shorter events, the chances of protein ingestion likely rises versus carbs alone.
However, in this second study here researchers looked at triathletes exercising at 50% of V02 max (easy aerobic) did benefit from carbs with protein during a six hour period. What they found is that the carbohydrate only group experienced a negative net protein balance during and after testing, while the carbs plus protein group experienced a positive net protein balance. This means that protein synthesis was greater than protein degradation whereas negative protein balance implies degradation or protein loss was greater than protein availability. The dosage was .7g per hour per kilogram of carbohydrates in the carb only group. The carb plus protein group was the same .7g per hour per kilograms of carbohydrates plus .25g of protein per hour per kilogram of body weight. This would suggest for a 75 kilogram individual, 52.5g of carbs per hour and 18.75g of protein per hour respectively.
Without a ton of research to go off of here, it's safe to say the jury is still out. So far it looks like the longer the distance, the higher the benefit COULD be. Although the second study does show a benefit in taking protein with carbs, they didn't examine the level of increased performance so it's hard to say. Recovery would likely be better, but what about race day performance? Not to mention taking in almost 19g of carbs for someone with the same weight as myself would not be good over 20+ hours as you're far exceeding what is necessary and that amount could cause serious issues. If products do have protein in them, it's usually up to 5g which seems a bit more reasonable. Another thing you might see is BCAAs in gels like GU which are amino acids (the simple form of protein), are BCAAs alone a better option? There are still many questions out there to be answered. For now, I'm not sure where I stand. The first study showed no benefit but also no negative effect up to two hours, so maybe a little wouldn't hurt.
I'm excited to see where the research takes us on this one, but as of today, not many conclusions can be made.
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