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Protein Powders...Do Runners Need Them?

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Protein Powders….Do Runners Need Them?

Protein Powders (PP) are widely marketed at runners (and other athletes). The adverts can be enticing ….but do runners really need them? Here we discuss the benefits and potential drawbacks of Protein Powders before delving into how to make the best choices if indeed your personal circumstances suggest you may benefit from taking one. We round up by giving you some Protein Powder recommendations; ones that have been tried and tested by us and our clients!  

Show Notes

(06:21)

The current recommended daily intake of protein for individuals varies:

For sedentary individuals 0.83g/Kg BW/d is recommended

For active individuals, the intake ranges from 1.2g/Kg BW/d to 2.0g/Kg

2g/Kg tends to be reserved for individuals focusing on strength/resistance training, 

(07:51)

There are many potential benefits from taking a protein powder including:

  1. Body composition as protein helps keep you fuller for longer. Also metabolism of protein uses significant energy, thus burning more calories per hour than CHO. 
  2. Building muscle because distance running is catabolic ie it leads to muscle breakdown. A PP would be an easy way to increase protein intake in order to maintain and build muscle mass.
  3. Glucose/insulin regulation as protein promotes insulin secretion, which can help enhance glucose clearance from the blood, thus promoting Blood Sugar Balance. 
  4. Adequate protein intake for individuals who struggle to attain an appropriate protein intake CONSISTENTLY
  5. High protein content in one serving so great as a recovery strategy to help maintain muscle mass 
  6. Pure protein so there is no Fat or Carbohydrate present to interfere with efficient digestion/absorption

(16:05)

There are also potential drawbacks to taking a protein powder including:

  1. Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) may compete with Tryptophan at the blood brain barrier, which could affect mood and sleep 
  2. PP overuse may lead to an overall excess protein intake. This could lead to the formation of toxic metabolites including ammonia, which is thought to be a risk factor for compromised immunity, dysbiosis and other systemic and metabolic conditions. 
  3. Compromised kidney function. An overall high dietary protein intake is thought to cause increased renal pressure, which may result in kidney hyperfiltration, glomerular injury, and proteinuria, proteinuria being a marker of kidney dysfunction and glomerular injury.
  4. Compromised liver function. The liver is the main organ responsible for filtering relatively toxic end products of protein metabolism (e.g. ammonia) via the urea cycle. When ammonia is not successfully removed from the blood due to impaired liver function or an overwhelmed detoxification process (maybe due to excess protein intake) the plasma ammonia concentration increases, which is known to cause negative health effects.
  5. Potentially debilitating side effects. These side effects include:

(26:17)

Particular runners who may benefit from a protein powder include:

(29:46)

It has been established that PP could be...