Too much protein won't grow muscles

There is a lot of scientific research showing the contribution of protein intake to muscle development. But at the same time, the number of studies showing the harms of excess protein is also very large. Therefore, before the question of how much protein should we take for muscle growth, we need to clarify the following; Extra protein intake does not make muscles bigger.

How do muscles grow?

There are 3 types of muscles in our body: cardiac muscle, smooth muscles and striated muscles. Our skeletal muscles that allow us to move are striated muscles. This line-by-line image of our skeletal muscles comes from the structure of a unit called the sarcomere, where the "contraction takes place". Sarcomeres line up one after the other to form myofibrils, and they come together to form fibrils, or muscle cells. Fibrils gather in bundles to form muscles. The growth of the muscle is the thickening of the muscle fibers, which is scientifically called hypertrophy.

Basically, what causes hypertrophy is resistance exercise. When we force our muscles to contract against resistance, microscopic tears in the sarcomere occur. This mechanical damage causes a repair response in the body, and the damaged fibers thicken during the healing process. The more damage we do on a regular basis, the more our body deals with repairing it; so our muscles grow visibly and tangibly :)

After resistance exercises, anything that allows us to recover quickly and exercise again contributes to the growth of our muscles. This is where protein comes into play. Muscles are made of amino acids, which, as everyone knows, are the building blocks of protein. Eating especially high protein foods after a muscle-damaging exercise allows the muscles to recover faster. So we can do the muscle-enlarging exercise again in a short time.

Of course, protein intake is not the only factor that ensures muscle building. If we do not have the signals that initiate muscle building, the necessary hormones, a balanced diet and good sleep, our muscles will not grow even if we take a protein bath. Here, we are only talking about protein, assuming that the whole process works correctly. Yes, protein helps build muscle, but when we eat "too much" protein, we don't have bigger muscles.

Excess protein cannot be stored for later use. Our body has to get rid of excess protein after muscle repair and other anabolic processes. Thanks to our liver and kidneys, we remove some of this excess protein, but there is a serious cost that is not immediately visible. Another way to get rid of excess protein is to turn it into fat, and you can see the cost in your belly and hips in a short time.

As a result, whether you take it with meals or with powder supplements, protein that you take in excess of your needs will not make your muscles grow any more (1). But if you don't get the amount of protein you need, you will lose muscle (2). Your daily protein needs vary depending on the type of exercise you do and your body weight. The table below shows the recommended daily grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for adults (3).

The daily protein requirement of a 50 kg woman doing strength exercises is 60 grams (50 x 1,2). The protein requirement of an 80 kg man doing moderate strength training is 120 grams (80 x 1.5). If you cannot get enough protein with meals, it should be supplemented with protein powder. Taking both at the same time is especially important for athletes who exercise for a long time and intensely. Athletes need to fill their needs with food only, and they need to eat a lot, which has performance-reducing effects such as being overweight.

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1. Evaluation of protein requirements for trained strength athletes. Journal of Applied Physiology DOI:10.1152/jappl.1992.73.5.1986

2. Effect of dietary protein content on weight gain, energy expenditure, and body composition during overeating: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association DOI:10.1001/jama.2011.1918

3. NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training 4. baskı, 444.