What are the benefits of protein?
What are the benefits of protein?
When bodybuilders hear the word protein, they almost automatically think of muscle growth. But protein has a whole range of other benefits in addition to the well-known positive effects on muscle growth. This article will take a look at the most important benefits that protein can have for bodybuilders and other athletes.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/protein2.htm#1
Protein is essential for muscle growth
Protein is the only nutrient directly responsible for building muscle. Protein is made up of amino acids, which are present in protein in the form of amino acid chains. Since protein provides the body with the amino acids needed to build the body's own protein, protein is essential for muscle growth and regeneration. If you want to build muscle, you need to consume the right amount of high quality protein at the right times.
Protein maintains an anabolic state
Regular training significantly increases the protein requirements of bodybuilders and other athletes compared to the average person. Eating protein-rich meals that provide adequate amounts of high quality protein can maintain an anabolic state of the body, promoting and accelerating muscle growth.
Protein increases growth hormone levels and IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor-I) levels
The body's growth hormone is a protein hormone that consists of 190 amino acids and plays an important role in controlling various complex physiological processes, including muscle growth and metabolism.
Growth hormone increases calcium retention, strengthens and mineralizes bones, increases muscle mass and increases the rate of protein synthesis, resulting in a positive nitrogen balance. One of the most important roles of growth hormones is to stimulate the liver and other tissues of the body to secrete IGF-1. IGF-1 is the primary protein involved in the cells' response to growth hormone. Since IGF-1 plays a key role in muscle growth by stimulating amino acid uptake and protein synthesis, this hormone is crucial for bodybuilders.
In addition to this, growth hormones increase the use of fat to fuel the body by stimulating the breakdown of triglycerides and the burning of the resulting fatty acids, resulting in a reduction in body fat.
Factors that inhibit endogenous growth hormone secretion include dietary carbohydrates, while sleep, exercise, low blood glucose levels and dietary protein stimulate endogenous growth hormone secretion. In other words, an increase in protein intake can also increase the release of growth hormone.
In addition to this, increasing protein consumption or replacing carbohydrates with protein can help to keep insulin levels under control. Low insulin levels mean an environment conducive to growth hormone release. It has also been shown that protein consumption can increase the IGF-1 response to exercise and eating
The thermic effect of protein
Protein has the highest thermic effect of all nutrients. In practice, this means that protein-rich foods can increase metabolic rate by up to 30%, as the body has to work harder to digest and use protein than fats and carbohydrates.
In purely mathematical terms, 50 grams of protein provides the body with around 200 kcal, but due to the thermal effect of protein, the body consumes around 60 kcal when digesting this amount of protein, so that after digestion only 140 kcal of the originally supplied 200 kcal remain.
There are a number of studies that support this. One of these studies looked at protein turnover and thermogenesis in response to a high-protein diet and a high-carbohydrate diet in men. In this study, 7 men were given isocaloric meals - meals with the same amount of calories - that were either high in protein or high in carbohydrates.
The response to this food intake was compared with the response to a short period of fasting. The results of the study showed that the thermic response over 9 hours after repeated high-protein meals was significantly higher than for the high-carbohydrate meals. The rate of whole body nitrogen turnover also increased significantly over these 9 hours, particularly in the protein group.
These and similar studies support the fact that the thermic effect of protein is one of the primary reasons that a high-protein diet is more effective for fat loss than a high-carbohydrate or high-fat diet. However, it should be noted that this effect can only be achieved with protein from whole foods and not with pre-digested protein supplements
Protein increases fat mobilization
Protein consumption increases the plasma concentration of the hormone glucagon, which has the opposite effect to insulin in adipose tissue.
Increased glucagon levels lead to greater fat mobilization while reducing the amount and activity of enzymes responsible for the formation and storage of fat in fat cells and liver cells. Studies have shown that lowering the levels of these fat storage-promoting enzymes during activity leads to greater fat breakdown and less fat storage when excess calories are consumed.
Proteins promote satiety
Another interesting aspect of increasing protein consumption is better satiety. People who follow a high-protein diet feel fuller for the same amount of calories. Protein-rich foods slow down the transportation of food from the stomach to the intestines. Slower gastric emptying means you feel fuller for longer and get hungry later. Slowing down carbohydrate digestion also reduces insulin secretion, creating a more favorable environment for growth hormone release.
Protein lowers insulin levels in the blood
Eating protein in combination with carbohydrates reduces the insulin response. This is extremely important for controlling energy levels and also plays an important role in trying to achieve a leaner body. Higher concentrations of insulin in the bloodstream activate fat-storing enzymes and promote the transport of triglycerides in the bloodstream for storage in fat cells and inhibit enzymes that promote the breakdown of stored fat.
Controlling the insulin response is also important because it reduces the risk of insulin resistance, a condition in which patients become insensitive to insulin. Studies have shown that high blood sugar levels and high insulin levels are linked to a variety of diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer.
Good protein supplements can be found here.