The Scoop: Do Triathletes Need To Use Protein Shakes?
As triathletes, nutrition is one of the key aspects determining your overall performance in the sport, and protein is of great value.
Supplements promising to give you a good protein top-up are the new thing to have, but do triathletes need to use protein shakes? Read on to find out!
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“Food First”.
Those words were always drummed to us while undertaking a Masters in Sport and Exercise Nutrition.
Ever present in anti-doping campaigns, it’s one of the key concepts of good nutrition but what does it really mean?
In short, it’s all about prioritizing whole food over supplements. As a newly qualified sports nutritionist, I was very keen to continue to push this stance because of how much emphasis was placed on it (and I was a little scared about repercussions if I didn’t toe the party line).
I still feel the same now, but I think there’s far more nuance in it than people think, particularly so when it comes to the most common supplement that I see used: protein shakes.
The internet is rife with confusing information about whether, for an athlete, protein shakes are healthy and worthwhile and whether they should be used.
After this post, you’ll learn how and when protein shakes might be appropriate and how to reduce any risks if you decide to use them.
Also, check out this free resource page for additional advice on nutrition to learn even more ways you can boost your performance beyond using supplements.
What is protein and what does it do?
Protein is one of the three main macronutrients, the other two being fat and carbohydrates, and it’s a vital part of your diet. Protein contains amino acids, which are the “building blocks of life” and that’s for good reason.
Amino acids are required for so many different roles in your body including in your hormonal system, immune, and reproductive systems. Consuming protein gives your body the nutrients to help these carry out their normal functions.
Protein is also the nutrient responsible for helping you to grow bigger, stronger, and more resistant muscle tissue.
There’s a process in your body called muscle protein synthesis (MPS), and this is just the term used to describe the creation of new muscle tissue.
Here’s a short outline of essentially how you create positive adaptations to training:
As you exercise, you create stress on your body
Your body recognizes this so it wants to get bigger or stronger
This requires protein so you consume more of the nutrient
That protein you’ve just eaten triggers MPS, so you grow new muscle tissue.
If you’re wondering, “What do protein shakes do to the body?” this is roughly the same process involved.
What are protein shakes?
Protein shakes are supplemental drinks made from protein powder. They are commonly utilized by athletes, gym goers, and fitness enthusiasts to help decrease hunger and appetite.
Protein powder for triathletes is usually combined with some water and mixed in a bottle to make these infamous protein shakes. But what’s the essence behind those drinks all about—what is protein powder?
As the name implies, protein powder is the powdered and processed form of different plant and animal protein sources. They usually include other constituents like vitamins, sugar, colorings and even flavors to make the drinks even more palatable and enjoyable.
When it comes to the shakes themselves, they’re easy to whip up, affordable for the most part, and provide easy-to-have protein for athletes, so it’s no surprise they’re so popular.
Do triathletes need to use protein shakes?
While marketing and the profit generated from protein supplements, including protein shakes, is huge, it would be a lie to say that they weren’t useful and didn’t have their place.
But we know that the protein from protein shakes isn’t any different from protein from whole food, so why would athletes want to use protein shakes if we exclude marketing or convenience as a reason?
For me, this is about understanding:
How much protein you need a day and whether you’re hitting those requirements
Whether there are specific scenarios where a protein shake would make sense
From this review on optimal protein intake, it’s stated that the recommended daily amount for protein is 0.8g per kg body weight, or 0.36g per lb of body weight, which really isn't that much.
For a 70kg person, that means about 56g of protein per day, which you could easily get from normal food, with no supplements necessary.
However, this isn’t ideal for athletic activities and protein for triathletes would be in the range of 1.4-2.0 g per kg body weight. So for a 70 kg athlete, 84-140g of protein per day is more optimal.
So that's definitely more protein, but this is still very possible from a normal diet.
Many people actually consume somewhere in this 1.4-2 g per kg range which is up to standard. And this is where we come to whether supplements and protein powder for athletes are necessary.
If your daily intake for protein is somewhere within that range I mentioned, protein supplements aren't particularly useful or necessary for you as a whole
Importance of Protein Shakes
There are some scenarios where it might be reasonable to use a protein supplement like protein shakes, and they are:
1. Dietary restrictions:
Sometimes, people follow a dietary pattern which means it’s harder to get protein in their diet. Veggie, vegan, and religious reasons, there are loads of instances and practices that may lead to deficiencies.
It might be possible, but it is far harder from both a time, cost, and practicality point of view to get enough protein, and so this might be one reason why you would want to use a protein supplement. The importance of protein shakes has to be stressed for this reason.
2. Age:
As we get older, it seems like we need more protein to build and maintain muscle, so I think it's quite reasonable to consider protein supplements to help with this as we age. In order to trigger MPS, it seems you need more protein than when you were younger for the same effect, which means gradually increasing your protein intake as you get older.
3. Convenience:
My usual advice is that if you’re going to be eating a normal meal with a good protein source within 45 minutes of finishing exercise, then you don’t need to have a snack. If it’s going to be longer than 45 minutes, then a snack is a good idea to give your body nutrients to kickstart the recovery process.
A protein supplement might make sense in this case, especially when combined with factors such as travel or a delay in eating after finishing a swim session. It can just make sense to fuel with a shake to provide protein after workout.
4. Training intensity and competitive level:
The more you train, the more important it is to nail the nutrition. If you have a high training load or compete at a high level then proper nutrition to help fuel your training and recover properly is crucial, and again I think protein supplements may have a bigger role here.
I’d still advocate a food-first approach where possible, but, for instance, protein shakes for runners, especially when combined with the factors above, might be a sensible choice to ensure you’re hitting your protein goals.
Negative Effects Of Protein Shakes
For a bit of balance, it's worth addressing the potential negatives of protein supplements... Are there really any?
1. Over-reliance
Some people use protein supplements because they don’t know how else to get protein in their diet, and this is a really important thing to change. If you don’t know what good protein sources are, how much you should eat of them or how much you’re consuming a day then that would something to work on.
You’ll be far better off over the long term improving this because the likelihood is that this shows that you don’t understand enough about your diet and how it can positively impact your health and performance. Protein powder for triathletes is a good way to top up your supply of the nutrient, but it shouldn’t be your main source of it.
2. Risk of protein supplements on kidney function
One much-cited potential effect of protein shakes is that they may pose a risk to proper kidney function. However, in a healthy individual, protein supplements shouldn't cause any harm. There's no solid evidence to show that reasonable use as part of a healthy diet causes any problems with your kidneys or your bone health.
Properly manufactured, high-quality protein powders are just protein in a powdered form, and you don't need to think of it as anything more than that.
3. Risk of inadvertent doping
Any supplement carries a risk of containing substances that are prohibited by WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency), even protein powder. You’re responsible for anything that goes into your body, and you need to do due diligence to ensure that you’re minimizing the risk as much as possible as well as keeping track of what supplements you’re using, and why.
So if you’re an athlete who’s involved in competitive sport and there’s even the tiniest risk you could be drug-tested, you should be keeping a log of the supplements you use, why you’re using it and any evidence you’ve read about this, as well as batch numbers for those products.
I’d suggest using a program like Informed Sport because this will reduce the risk of accidental doping offences.
FAQs
Do athletes need more protein?
Research has shown the minimum recommended daily amount of protein is about 0.8g per kg of body weight, but this is not the best range for optimum performance.
Athletes need more protein as they engage in much more robust and strenuous activities than the regular Joe. Optimal protein for triathletes is between 1.4-2.0 g per kg of body weight to help recover from all that exercise you’re doing!
Why do athletes need protein?
Protein is one of the most essential nutrients and plays a big role in repairing and rebuilding the body’s tissues. This is one of the main reasons why athletes need protein. If you want to make the adaptations to your tough training, you need protein!
