Triathlon nutrition: Protein – were those ancient Greeks on to something?

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Triathlon nutrition: Protein – were those ancient Greeks on to something?

According to legend, an ex-distance runner called Dromeus of Stymphalos introduced meat based diets to endurance athletes in ancient Greece. However, for the next few thousand years, protein has largely only been used by resistance athletes to develop size and strength while being ignored in favour of carbohydrate by endurance athletes. However, maybe Dromeus was right as it seems protein might be useful in helping endurance athletes maximize their recovery after sessions and thus elicit greater training adaptations. Joel Enoch reports.

It is well established within the world of nutrition that the ingestion of protein after resistance exercise causes increased muscle protein synthesis, resulting in increased muscle mass gains when compared to a placebo. Recent research also suggests the consumption of protein after aerobic exercise may benefit those involved in endurance sports such as triathlon.

The research appears to show the body utilises protein to help it to adapt to the type of training undertaken. Therefore, the resistance exerciser may recruit more muscle as the protein synthesis is steered towards muscle development while for the triathlete, protein may be utilised to enhance mitochondrial protein synthesis. This, in essence, allows the body to adapt to aerobic training more effectively.

Endurance sport athletes, who train five times a week or more, are essentially in constant recovery thereby placing a great emphasis on the need for adequate protein consumption. Thus, triathletes in regular training should ensure a daily intake of 1.2-1.7g of protein per kilogramme of body weight.

More is not necessarily better

A lack of understanding in this area has given rise to the assumption that more protein is better. But research shows this is not necessarily the case and, in reality, the consumption of protein in excess of 20g per serving is unlikely to yield significant additional benefits.

Time it right…

As well as the amount of protein consumed it appears the timing of protein ingestion is also of primary importance. Along with the consumption of carbohydrate, it is important to consume protein as soon as possible after training to maximize its benefits. Some athletes subscribe to the theory that consumption of protein before or during training can maximize post training recovery. However evidence is still mixed as to whether this actually increases post exercise protein synthesis and until more research is published athletes are best advised to focus on protein consumption immediately after exercise.

… and use the right sources

The quality and absorption rate of proteins are as significant to the serious triathlete as the amount and timing of protein ingestion. Proteins are made up of 20 amino acids, 8 (sometimes 9) of which are not produced by the body and are therefore known as ‘essential’. It is important to consider that the protein contained in some foods may not contain all these essential amino acids and are therefore termed ‘low quality proteins’. Non-animal sources of protein such as nuts and grains fall into this category and so vegetarian athletes may need to look to supplement their diets with other high quality sources of protein (see below). Further, the lack of one or more amino acids may render protein less effective in regard to recovery. Protein absorption rate is also variable depending on its source. Therefore, the athlete looking to maximize his or her performance should consume proteins that are not only high quality, but that also absorb quickly, especially directly after exercise when the body utilises nutrients more effectively. The table below summarises some common protein absorption rates:

Absorption rates of some common proteins
Source	Absorption rate (g/h)
Egg protein (raw)	1.3
Pea flour	2.4
Egg protein (cooked)	2.8
Milk protein	3.5
Soy protein isolate	3.9
Free amino acids	4.3
Casein isolate	6.1
Whey isolate	8-10
Source: Bilsborough and Mann (2007)

When milk coagulates and separates, protein isolated from the liquid part is termed whey protein. As a result of the issues surrounding quality and absorption rate, not to mention the practical difficulties involved in providing high quality protein straight after training and within a vegetarian/vegan diet, protein supplements can be useful and convenient. It should be mentioned though that not all whey supplements are identical.

Supplements derived from whey protein isolate deliver fast absorbing, high quality protein. Indeed, given that a 70kg triathlete requires around 110g of protein per day, it might be hard to consume – and more crucially, absorb – this amount without fast absorbing proteins such as whey. Therefore, in addition to protein at each meal, triathletes should also aim to consume extra proteins through snacks like nuts and seeds and also protein supplements on a daily basis to enhance training adaptations.

In the next article, I will look into the use of protein along with carbohydrate during endurance training.

Joel

About Joel

Joel has competed in both European and World Championship Age-Group level triathlons. In 2009 he also raced Elite on two occasions and if it wasn’t for a dodgy zip on his tri suit he wouldn’t have done too badly! This year is his 3^rd ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ to prove something on an international age-group level and he hopes to win some medals this time around! He has a BSc in Sports Science from Brunel University, an MSc in Nutrition from Bristol University and has been a Sport Scientist for the Lucozade Sport Science Team since the beginning of 2009. He works with both Olympic athletes and people who have never heard of carbohydrate!

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