Here's an interesting new study with surprising results in relation to how much protein produces an increase in muscle protein synthesis after lifting weights.
Eight men averaging 21 years old trained one leg with leg extensions and leg presses at two separate workouts. After the first workout they received one of two drinks that contained the same number of calories. The first drink contained 10 grams of whey protein and 21 grams of fructose, a sugar that doesn't elicit an immediate insulin release. The second drink consisted of fructose and maltodextrin, a simple carbohydrate that does spike insulin. The workouts were separated by two weeks to determine the effects of each of the drinks in isolation. Measurements of muscle protein synthesis revealed that the whey and fructose combo led to a twofold increase in muscle protein synthesis after exercise.
Tang, J.E., et al. (2007). Minimal whey protein with carbohydrate stimulates muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise in trained young men. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 32:1132-1138
What's interesting about the study was that only 10 grams of protein was used for both drinks. That's about what you'd get from one egg. This would be considered a ridiculously low amount of protein to elicit an anabolic response. I also find it odd that a simple sugar such as fructose would produce more protein absorption than maltodextrin since it doesn't spike insulin.
Although studies don't always mean much to me for several reasons I won't go into, I do believe based off of research, personal experience, and yes, studies, that you don't need as much protein as the supplement companies would have you believe.
At our facility we use a product called Whey Cool. It's produced with minimal heat so that the protein isn't denatured, which allows the good enzymes that are immune-enhancing like lactofferin and immunoglobulins to remain intact. Because of this you don't need a ton of protein due to the fact that you'll absorb what you're taking. It's also void of any artificial sweeteners that are neuro-toxic such as aspartame and sucralose. It might not sound sexy but it works better than any of the bodybuilding brands out there that have no integrity and don't seem to know much about good nutrition. Unfortunately, you do have to be a health practitioner to get it.
The majority of the bodybuilding supplement companies market to the high school kid that is naive enough to believe that the guy on the bottle that is juiced to the gills on pharmaceuticals got that way because he drinks the protein shake he's on. Or better yet, this one's my favorite, the guys in the ads for these products wearing lab coats holding up beakers and claiming they just discovered some secret way to cryogenically freeze certain molecules thus making them more anabolic and swearing that it's the biggest muscle building breakthrough ever. Yeah...you said that last month when you were selling liquid piss from a frozen neanderthal that scientists discovered in the Himalayas.
Don't believe everything you read and know that most things that are heavily marketed don't work.
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