Mission 1, Day 32: Protein storage...what?
I got up early today and did my HIIT session like always. It felt weird not to lift weights beforehand, but that's the plan for this week.
Tonight I was reading through Metabolic Surge when I came across this quote:
"Your body uses up its protein stores and, just like carb-loading, this creates an urgent need in your body to store the missing nutrient when it gets it again."This is a false statement if I've ever seen one. It made me really think because science says that protein cannot be stored.
"Protein cannot be stored and needs to be replenished daily. Muscle wasting can occur if protein intake is inadequate as it may be needed for more important body functions. However, most people eat more than they need in terms of protein. The train of though that strength athletes followed is that the more material you supply the body the more it will build. That is not true. The body will only use the precise amount of protein it needs. The rest will be excreted in the urine and excess amount may even cause liver and kidney strain. It can also cause an increase in calcium loss in the urine as wel as dehydration. " (http://healthfitness.com.au/diet/nutrition/protein-proteins.htm)
"Protein in the body is used as a building material so it is not really stored in the same way as fat and carbohydrates, but because muscle is frequently broken down and used as energy the whole muscular system represents a huge potential store of energy. Some protein is always used to supply energy." (http://ezinearticles.com/?Human-Body-Energy-Stores-and-Losing-Weight)
""The body can use protein most efficiently if protein is consumed frequently during the day. Six small meals, each containing some protein, allows the body to make better use of the nutrient than if you eat it in two or three large meals. And because protein is not stored, not even for several hours, complete protein - a balanced combination of all the essential amino acids plus nonessential ones - must be consumed in the same meal."" (Jane Brody, Author of Jane Brody's Nutrition Book [as quoted by Tom Venuto in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle)It bothers me when I read things like this Metabolic Surge quotation that are totally incorrect. If I can't trust what he says about protein, how can I trust what he says about anything at all? It deeply concerns me because so many people use this program and they are getting the incorrect information. I do understand the concept of protein depravation because I used it during my Optimum Anabolics training, but protein depravation simply makes your body suck up the protein when you finally give it some. This is an entirely different situation. Nilsson is making the case for protein being stored in the body in much the same manner as carbohydrates and clearly that is false.
"Proteins can’t be stored in the body." (Tom Venuto in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, p. 192)
"Because protein can’t be stored for later use like carbohydrates, it’s necessary to consume a complete protein in every meal to stay in positive nitrogen balance." (Tom Venuto in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, p. 194)
I will be interested in the comments to this blog because I'm certain most of you will disagree with me. That's why I posted the links and references for each quotation I posted.
Until tomorrow...
I don't think you could say that his statement is completely incorrect, it just needs some clarification. When protein is ingested and broken down, it becomes part of the free amino acid pool. You can think of this pool as temporary storage. Think of it as more of a kitchen sink filled with water and a running tap. It can be drained, and it can be topped off. If it gets too much, it's going to overflow. If it gets too little, it's going to run dry, and then you need to go to a reserve tank (break down your muscles). The water (protein/amino acids) are temporarily stored in the sink, but it's not like you are putting it into jugs and then capping them (fat/glycogen storage).
But, once you turn the tap back on, the sink is going to start filling up again, and you can switch from using the reserve tank to using the sink. What will happen at this point though, is that most of the water will immediately go out the drain, but the sink has also immediately started filling back up again.
So, if your amino acid pool was empty, and you ingest some protein, then the pool is immediately going to start to fill up (temporary storage).
So, to say that there is no storage isn't exactly the whole truth, just think of it as more of a draining kitchen sink rather than a water jug you can fill up, cap, and put in the cupboard or closet for later. Hehe, I kind of like this analogy...you could even go to say that a slow digesting protein like casein is like throwing an ice cube into the sink. When it melts (digests) the water will drain, but the rest of the cube will just kind of sit there for a little bit longer than the same volume of water.
But yes, I agree, without elaborating, he does make it sound like it can be stored in the same manner as fat and carbs. I haven't read MS, so I don't know if I can comment on the rest of it really. What's the rest of the context that statement is in? I don't know if it's a total wash, maybe he just tried to simplify the wording and it lost its real context?
Reply to this