Excess protein

[THEBERG]

I was talking to a buddy in the gym last nite and he was saying that if your body stores protein it doesn't use (ie excess) then why cant the body reverse that process and turn fat or use fat to repair muscle.

I dont agree with this as i have understood that Fat and Protein are metabolized completely different in the body but an explanation of why this cant happen would be nice if someone has it.

[Flex]

To put it simply - Protein contains amino acids which are required for tissue maintenance and growth. Neither lipids (fats) nor glycogen (carbs) contain amino's and amino acids cannot be assimilated from either of them.

Amino acids are sourced from the body's amino acid pool, which is kept topped up by dietary proteins and amino acids arising from tissue breakdown.

If the dietary intake of protein isn't high enough to meet the demands required to repair damage done through training, the body will scavange amino acids from other sources to help in repairing the damage. This isn't desirable as recovery will be impaired and muscle growth will be limited, non-existant, or in a state of catabolism or muscle wasting.

An important factor influencing muscle growth is called the Nitrogen Balance of the body. Protein differs from both fats and carbohydrates in that, while being composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen as with fats and carbs, protein also contains nitrogen. This is important as the amount of nitrogen present in the body determines whether the body is building, maintaining, or breaking down muscle tissue.

The body is said to be in Nitrogen Balance when the amount of nitrogen ingested in proteins, equals the amount of nitrogen lost through urine and faeces, a situation that occurs in all normal, healthy adults.

When protein synthesis exceeds protein breakdown and loss, the body is in positive nitrogen balance. Positive nitrogen balance occurs when muscle tissue is being repaired, if the amount of protein being incorporated into muscle tissue exceeds the amount being broken down and used for energy. This is the ideal situation as this indicates muscle development.

If protein breakdown exceeds the amount of protein being used for repair, a negative nitrogen balance occurs. This can occur during times of stress, periods of overtraining, or when the amount or quality of dietary protein is low. If this occurs the tissues lose protein faster than it is able to be replaced, leading to impaired recovery rates and muscle loss.

Excessive protein will be converted to glucose and if not used for energy (i.e. you have an adequate/excessive carb intake and glycogen pool) will attribute to fat accumulation - however the body cannot convert glucose (carbs) or lipids (fat) into amino acids, and as carbs and fats don't contain nitrogen they are unable to contribute in any way to muscle growth. Remember though that protein has a higher thermic requirement and requires more calories to process than both fat and carbs. While it is possible to get fat from eating too much protein, you shouldn't worry too much about eating large amounts of protein, as long as you are eating clean, unprocessed and low sugar carbs, and healthy fats.

[2guns]

whoa flex u know heaps about nutrition etc. ru in the business of personal training or nutrition plans?

[Dyceast]

Damn,

Now thats what I call a good answer :wink:

[02flex]

GREAT READ, THANKS FLEX :nod: