Table of Contents:

[ Health / Dietary / Liquid ]
[ Carbohydrate / Fat / Protein ]
[ Vitamin / References ]

What are the protein requirements of student athletes?
Protein is one of the most essential nutrients in our body. It has a wide range of physiological functions that are required for achieving optimal physical performance. Protein forms the structural basis of muscle tissue, is a major source of energy for muscle contraction, and is also the major component of enzymes and blood in the muscle.

What are the effects of protein on athletic performance?
The RDA for protein is 0.8 grams/kg of body weight/day. Adequate energy intake primarily from carbohydrates should ensure a positive protein balance in the muscle. Urea, a by- product of protein metabolism, increases in the urine during exercise. Estimates of increased protein requirements for endurance athletes vary, with recommended protein intakes of 0.97 to 1.39 g/kg/day. Most experts agree that additional protein can be easily obtained through a balanced diet.

Team sports. In team sports student should not have difficulty meeting their protein needs through eating a variety of protein rich foods. When student athletes wish to increase the muscle mass the protein need should be adjusted accordingly (Murray and Horswill, 1997).

Short duration high intensity sports. Research by Tarnopolsky et. al., 1992 showed that a moderately high protein intake of 1.4g/kg of body weight may be needed to keep the muscles of trained athletes in positive protein balance. Student athletes who restrict nutrient intake to lose weight for competition such as boxers, figure skaters, wrestlers, may have inadequate protein intake and this can be a limiting factor on performance (Murray and Horswill, 1997). Low intake of protein over a long period adversely affects muscle mass (Murray and Horswill, 1997).

Long duration moderate intensity sports. According to Murray and Horswill (1998), the endurance athlete might have a higher protein requirement to maintain nitrogen balance than the anaerobically trained athlete. A requirement above the RDA could be due to the large volume of energy used during training and the trauma of repeated muscular contractions (Meridith et. al., 1989). According to Lemon (1995), it is important to know that protein intake twice the RDA (>1.6g/kg/day) could increase the risk of renal degeneration and heart disease and cancers.