Revisiting Protein Supplementation for Athletes

Revisiting Protein Supplementation for Athletes

During a group discussion following a recent screening of the film “Forks Over Knives”, it didn’t take long before the subject of protein reared its ugly head.  There were a few folks who questioned the likelihood that the MMA fighter profiled in the film (Mac Danzig) maintains his physique and performance on a whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet without supplementing with protein powders. This did not surprise me as many people I’ve encountered –  athletes and non-athletes alike  –  list lack of protein as a main reason they will not consider following a WFPB diet.

Questions were directed to a panel, so it was not my place to address concerns from the audience.  Had I been on the panel, I would have shared that I didn’t have a definitive answer for each individual athlete’s concern.  I probably would have steered them to these earlier articles that address protein:

• Enough About Protein Already!
• Do Some WFPB Athletes Need to Supplement With Protein?

A few days after this discussion, I came across this video by Dr. Pam Popper in which she shares information from a presentation made by Lifestyle Medical Doctor James F. Loomis. At the 2016 Nutrition in Medicine Conference, Dr. Loomis presented on Athletics and Sports Nutrition.   Dr. Loomis’s main message was that there is no special diet for athletes.  Athletes, like non-athletes, can reap the health benefits of following a WFPB diet. They don’t need to supplement with protein, they just need to eat more food. By eating more food, athletes will get both adequate protein and calories.

Dr Popper mentions a study that sought to determine if supplementing with branched chain amino acids (BCAACHO) and carbohydrate does a better job at attenuating markers of muscle damage and performance than a carbohydrate-only sports drink (Power Ade).  The results showed that it didn’t.

I figured that the study was funded by Power Ade, as the results were in its favor. However, the study was funded by MusclePharm, – a company that sells amino acid supplements. If the funders had any influence on the study, it would have been designed to improve the chance that any results would favor MusclePharm.  Even with this potential bias toward MusclePharm’s products, researchers could not find any benefit for supplementing with Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs).

Dr. Popper shared that she had an intern earlier in the year who spent time researching the relationship between protein and athletic performance quite thoroughly. Apparently the preponderance of evidence supports the notion that athletic performance is fueled by calories and not by protein loading. Dr. Popper promised that more information on this topic will be shared in future video clips.

Matthew Ruscigno is a registered dietitian who works with many athletes. In an article  from the “No Meat Athlete” web site, he writes:

“If you’re eating enough for your activity level and consuming a variety of whole foods, you will get all the protein you need. Guaranteed.  No need for supplements!”

My current thoughts:

I think it is likely that most athletes don’t need to supplement with protein. But, I’m still not ready to discount the conclusion of some plant-based athletes, like Tony Gonzalez, who decided that he needed to supplement with protein powders to maintain his large body mass that was needed when he was an NFL tight end.

It also turns out that the audience members who assumed that Mac Danzig took protein supplements were correct.  He claims that he supplemented with plant-based protein powders during his most intense training periods. He normally tries to keep supplementation to a minimum, but felt that protein supplementation was needed at certain times during training

Perhaps Tony Gonzalez and Mac Danzig are mistaken.  Maybe they just needed to increase caloric intake to maintain their muscle mass and strength and to achieve peak athletic performance.  I don’t know.

I’m still open to the possibility that some extreme athletes may benefit from protein supplementation, but my opinion may change if the evidence continues to mount against it.

Stay healthy and strong!