00:00Whether you're a guy or a girl, you've probably been told that you need protein to get the most out of a workout.
00:06And you're definitely not the only one at the gym using a protein supplement.
00:10In 2017, 9.4 billion dollars was spent on whey protein globally.
00:15So is protein powder actually helping you build muscle?
00:18Or are you turning your money into dust?
00:20Let's talk about how your body uses protein to build muscle
00:24and whether protein shakes are helping you get the best out of resistance training.
00:27Welcome to Doc Unlocked, where we help you make better decisions about your health.
00:31So how exactly does your body build muscle?
00:33When it comes to increasing the size of any organ, the body only has two options.
00:38You can either increase the number of cells called hyperplasia
00:43or you can make each cell bigger called hypertrophy.
00:46When it comes to building up new muscle, your body can't build new muscle cells.
00:51So your body relies on muscle hypertrophy.
00:54So how does muscle hypertrophy work?
00:57If you look at a muscle cell under a microscope,
01:00what you will see are long tubes of fibers running along the length of the cells.
01:04These are called myofibrils and are full of protein-based fibers.
01:09When a muscle cell builds more of these protein fibers, it gets bigger and stronger.
01:14To achieve muscle hypertrophy, there's a simple rule.
01:17Muscle protein synthesis needs to outweigh muscle protein breakdown.
01:23And to trigger muscle protein synthesis, you need two ingredients.
01:27Resistance training and protein from your diet.
01:30If your body doesn't get enough protein from your diet,
01:33then it can't trigger muscle protein synthesis effectively.
01:36And this is where the advice comes from to include protein in your diet,
01:39especially if you're doing a lot of resistance training.
01:41Most people living in high-income countries get enough protein from their diet
01:45for normal body function.
01:47But we know that protein needs are higher in those people
01:50who are deliberately trying to achieve muscle hypertrophy.
01:52But does adding protein powder to your diet
01:55help you get better results from resistance training?
01:57Well, there have been so many studies done on the topic.
02:00If only there was a meta-analysis that put all the results together
02:03so we can get the best answer possible.
02:06Aha! Found it!
02:07Published in 2017 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine,
02:11this is the largest review so far on whether protein supplementation
02:15leads to gains in muscle mass and strength.
02:18It combined the results of 49 randomized control trials.
02:22In these trials, almost 2,000 people were put on a resistance training program.
02:27In these people, the average protein intake even before supplementation
02:31was approximately 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram per day.
02:36And this is already above the recommended dietary allowance
02:40of 0.8 grams per kilogram per day.
02:42The experimental group received an additional protein supplement
02:46of 36 grams per day on average,
02:48with almost half of the trials using whey protein.
02:51The control group most commonly received a carbohydrate supplement
02:55to make sure that the total calories were the same as the experimental group.
02:58The average resistance program was 13 weeks long
03:01with training sessions three times per week.
03:04On average, each session had seven exercises,
03:07four sets per exercise and nine reps per set.
03:10And the results?
03:12Well, protein supplementation improved strength, muscle size and lean body mass.
03:17So you aren't wasting your money after all.
03:19Protein supplementation does lead to some benefit.
03:22But wait, there's a catch.
03:24First, there is a point where adding more protein doesn't lead to more benefit.
03:27The researchers found that the benefit of protein supplementation
03:31plateaued after a total daily intake of 1.6 grams of protein per kilo per day.
03:37For someone weighing 70 kilos, that would mean a total protein intake
03:42both from food and supplements of 112 grams per day.
03:45And the second thing, even though protein supplementation did have a benefit,
03:49it's not as impressive as you might think.
03:51When it came to improvement in strength, participants who didn't use a protein supplement
03:56increased their one rep max by an average of 27 kilos just through resistance training alone.
04:02Those who were given a protein supplement had an additional benefit of 2.49 kilos.
04:08In other words, protein supplementation contributed an additional benefit of only 9%.
04:13What does this mean?
04:15Well, the researchers tell the story best.
04:18The practice of resistance exercise training is a far more potent stimulus
04:23for increasing muscle strength than the addition of dietary protein supplementation.
04:27If you're a professional athlete where every last bit of strength counts,
04:31then yes, absolutely optimize your protein intake.
04:34For serious athletes, this study recommends supplementing protein intake
04:38to an upper limit of 2.2 grams per kilo per day
04:42to get the maximum possible benefit from protein supplementation.
04:46But if you're an average person like me just trying to stay fit,
04:49then protein shakes will help you a bit,
04:51but not as much as getting to the gym and actually doing the work.
04:54So the next time you see someone at the gym drinking some protein,
04:57the real question is,
04:58hey bro, do you even lift?
05:00In this video, I've only looked at the effect of protein supplementation on strength training.
05:05There are some other reasons why people use protein shakes.
05:07To boost protein intake without eating a lot more calories,
05:11to suppress appetite or to aid in recovery after cardio.
05:15If you're interested in these topics, drop a comment below.
05:17And if you're interested in getting specific advice
05:20about your particular situation and protein intake,
05:23then I would suggest seeing a sports dietitian.
05:25A common concern about a high protein diet
05:27is whether there are any negative effects on your health.
05:29For example, could a high protein diet lead to worse acne,
05:33hair loss or even cause kidney damage?
05:35In the next episode, I'm going to look at the science behind these questions.
05:39So make sure you're subscribed for that
05:41and the video will be up there to your right when it's released.
05:43Thanks for watching and I'll see you in the next one.
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