Perhaps there is a tremendous obsession with protein intake in the world of sport. I am not dismissing its value—it matters. My point is that we may place too much emphasis on protein consumption without considering everything else. When we move to DBP, this concern seems to multiply. Warning: plant protein is poor quality! Plant protein will not make you a champion! Plant protein will not help you gain muscle mass!
Most of the world gets its protein from plant sources. It is only in America, Europe and Oceania where meat consumption is higher. I'd like you to look at Africa, and now think about some of its runners. I do not think you can argue that a higher plant-protein intake leads to poorer performance.
But beyond my own interpretation, what do we know about plant protein compared with animal protein?
Traditionally, there are several factors that tell us "how good" a protein is. One of the most important is absorption, that is, how many of the amino acids that make up proteins, when digested, we absorb. It seems that vegetable proteins are less effectively absorbed, perhaps, again, some of their so-called anti-nutrients, present in them, can interfere. It is interesting to know that when we separate plant protein from its food matrix (i.e., the rest of the non-protein components), its absorption levels are similar to those of animal proteins. This for example occurs in many of the protein supplements that are on the market. In addition, the rate of absorption (how quickly amino acids pass into the blood) also appears to be lower in plant proteins. As for the quality of the protein, this refers to the content of essential amino acids, or in other words, those that we must ingest since our body is not able to synthesize them. In general, the content of these amino acids in vegetable proteins is lower than in those of animal origin. However, different vegetable proteins such as soy, brown rice, canola, pea, corn or potato have a high content of essential amino acids and meet the requirements recommended by the WHO/FAO/WHO. Among the amino acids that make up proteins, leucine is the protagonist in the process of kick-starting protein synthesis in your muscle and, therefore, muscle growth. Although the content of this amino acid in many vegetable proteins is lower than recommended, soy, canola, pea, brown rice, corn and potatoes have a high content, even the percentage of leucine in corn is higher than that of the whey protein itself, a protein that has traditionally been considered the one with the greatest anabolic potential. However, some researchers speculate that considering that training sensitizes the muscle to the action of leucine, perhaps this implies that less of this amino acid is needed; You can learn a lot from this, training is the primary factor, while the source of protein, including when to take it, is secondary if we consider the physiological adaptations to training. You have also surely heard and know that many vegetable proteins are deficient in one or more essential amino acids; they are usually low in lysine and/or methionine compared to those of animal origin. This led to their misleading classification as complete or incomplete proteins. While these aspects are important, differences in amino acid composition can be compensated, at least in part, by increasing the amount of protein ingested or mixing different plant sources throughout the day. For example, we know that corn, hemp, brown rice, soybeans or peas are low in lysine and/or methionine. If we combine corn, hemp or brown rice (low in lysine and high in methionine) with peas or soybeans (low in methionine and high in lysine), a balanced mixture of amino acids is generated. Contrary to what many believe, current evidence does not indicate that consuming enough plant protein will impair muscle mass or performance. For example, one meta-analysis concluded that supplementation with animal or plant protein does not have a significant impact on lean mass or strength gains following strength training. A recent article even found no difference in lean mass or strength during a period of resistance training while consuming a plant-based or omnivorous diet. So, if you're worried that eating plant-based protein will ruin muscle mass gains from training, rest assured, studies show similar results. Remember that if you train and consume approximately 1,6 g of protein per kg of body weight per day, that total daily amount should be sufficient for the goal, regardless of the protein source.
That said, I think that the first approach you should follow is not to go looking for vegetable protein in a jar, first check what sources of vegetable protein you can find in food and even, if you are a flexible vegetarian, what animal sources you can introduce (e.g. egg, cheese...), and then, you can see the option of looking for a good supplement. I believe that something key to ensuring adequate protein intake is to ensure that sufficient energy is consumed. We know that athletes already consume a large amount of protein due to the high energy consumption of their diets. If we review studies with athletes where their total caloric intake has been looked at, this correlation can be clearly seen, the more energy consumed, the more protein consumed; it is unlikely that a lower quality protein will compromise an athlete when the total daily intake is greater than 1,6 g per kg of body weight. Also, when eating you don't eat a handful of peas, you eat mixed meals with different proteins that provide different amounts and amino acid profiles. In the event that your protein needs are very high, we cannot rule out the use of plant-based protein supplements where you will find everything from powdered mixtures to make shakes, bars and other products.
Perhaps you should pay more attention to protein intake at times when you are looking for improvements in body composition and energy consumption may be reduced. Here, consuming higher amounts of plant protein from different sources may be more important. To end this post, I want to address the unfounded fear that has surrounded soy and its isoflavones for many years. Today the different studies in humans do not support the range of negative effects once attributed to soy in breast tissue, increase in estrogen, decrease in testosterone in men, etc. A recent meta-analysis shows that there is insufficient evidence to classify isoflavones as endocrine disruptors.
That said, and demystifying protein in the context of BPD, some advantages of this diet are the high consumption of carbohydrates, antioxidants and polyphenols; reduction of total caloric intake (this does not have to be positive, it depends on the scenario), a higher consumption of fiber (depending on the moment, if you are an athlete, it can be positive or negative) and, of course, being a more sustainable diet. A plant-based diet provides a high content of polyphenols and antioxidants, which reduces oxidative stress and regulates the inflammatory processes that can occur after exercise, thus improving the recovery and health of the athlete. In the next post about DBP I will talk about fats and micronutrients in this type of diet.
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AUTHOR Fernando Mata (Col. AND-01053) Msc Physiology; Msc. Biomedicine; Msc. Nutrition; PhD. Student Director General of the Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition
