Cory Hibbert

ENGL11000

Essay #3: Researched Argumentative Essay 

The amount of protein needed for day to day activities has not been suggested by a hard or fast rule as it is said that our day to day diet contains the minimum amount of protein required – at least for those in the first world. In terms of hypertrophy, however, debates continue to be had with everyone thinking that they have the answer through anecdotal experiences. A number of sports scientists have determined that this debate is not something that can be summarized into one distinct figure. Writing in the journal Food and Function, Guoyao Wu argues that the amount of protein needed by individuals for hypertrophy is dependent on the intensity of the exercises that they do. Stokes et al. are on the other end of the spectrum. They suggest that the amount of protein needed for hypertrophy is a hard and fast rule, 1.6g protein per kg of body mass and that what is most important is how we distribute that amount throughout the day in our meals. I disagree with Stokes et al.’s view that approximately ~1.6g/kg body mass per day is recommended as this does not take into account the fact that different individuals will be exerting themselves differently in the gym, so a variety would be more ideal, as prescribed by Guoyao.

In the article, Dietary protein intake and human health by Guoyao Wu, the author explores the needs that different humans have for protein per day. This recommendation is in the form of grams of protein per kg of body mass per day. The author outlines the importance of protein in our diet by stating how it consists of amino acids which are important for almost everything in our bodies. For example, amino acids are required for the synthesis of body protein and other important nitrogen-containing compounds, such as creatine, peptide hormones, and some neurotransmitters. Although allowances are expressed as protein, the biological requirement is for amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. The author states what the average diet consisted of, in terms of amounts of protein, by exploring research dated from the early 1900s. This amount was in the form of raw numbers and was found to be between 118g-125g of protein.

Guoyao found that the dietary requirements of amino acids and protein are affected by: (a) dietary factors (e.g., energy intake, food processing); (b) physiological characteristics of subjects (e.g., age, sex hormones and physical activity); (c) pathological states (e.g., infection, trauma, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease); and 9d) environmental factors (e.g., temperatures, dietary habits, and personal hygiene). He went on to emphasize that these factors should be taken into consideration in estimating the human requirements for dietary amino acids. He concluded that the needs for dietary amino acids are dependent on intensity of physical activity, specifically, intensity of resistance exercise.

In the article, Recent Perspectives Regarding the Role of Dietary Protein for the Promotion of Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Exercise Training by Stokes et. al, the authors examine how much dietary protein humans need in order to gain muscle (hypertrophy). They state that dietary protein is vital even in muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown. In fact, they argued that without enough protein, this process would not be taking place in an optimal environment, therefore, hypertrophy will be difficult to be had. They further found that muscle protein synthesis has a limit, so the benefits from the amount of dietary protein individuals can have will also be limited. This number can be seen above 2g/kg of body mass. Higher quality proteins, from animal sources, are better for everyday needs, and also for hypertrophy, when compared to lower quality proteins, such as soy or wheat protein. Lower quality proteins are deemed as such because they lack or are low in one or more essential amino acids, and this causes said proteins to fail to stimulate muscle protein synthesis to the same degree as higher quality sources. The authors also found that dietary protein intake should be accounted for even in an energy restriction phase, because individuals would want to maintain muscle, so having enough protein in their diets would be beneficial. The authors suggested that the more muscles that humans have, the more protein they would need in a calorie restriction phase, if the goal is to preserve most of their muscles.

Writing in the journal Food and Function, Guoyao Wu states, “To meet the functional needs such as promoting skeletal-muscle protein accretion and physical strength, dietary intake of 1.0, 1.3, and 1.6g protein per kg body weight per day is recommended for individuals with minimal, moderate, and intense physical activity, respectively.” Guoyao’s point is that protein consumption is determined by the amount of work one is doing and it shouldn’t be a hard and fast rule as if it is a one size fits all. Stokes et al. disagrees when they wrote, “Thus, athletes in energy-balance seeking to optimize the adaptive potential of their resistance-training programs are advised to first ensure that they are consuming ~1.6g/kg body mass per day of protein, and tailor their dosing strategies to meet this overarching goal.” Here, Stokes et al has a hard and fast rule that ~1.6 is what is recommended. Guoyao added, “Humans usually eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at regular times of the day (e.g., 7:00 AM, 12:00 noon, and 7:00 PM). Thus, the recommended values of dietary requirements of AA and proteins are intended for three meals in a day. This should apply to both athletes and non-athlete adults, as well as growing children. The rate of skeletal-muscle protein synthesis in healthy adults is 25% higher when protein intake is evenly distributed across breakfast, lunch, and dinner, compared with a pattern where most protein is consumed at the evening meal despite the same daily intake of total protein.” This is a poignant point because we would think that just getting in the daily requirement is all that is necessary, but evenly distributing the amount throughout the day, the research shows, does have some benefits for hypertrophy. Stokes et. al went on to say, “We know that exercise sensitizes the muscle to hyperaminoacidemia, which suggests that habitual exercise would shift the dose-response curve to the left and lower intakes of protein would be needed to stimulate MPS; however, it may be that exercise also increases the capacity for use of amino acids so the maximal gain in MPS may require higher intakes of protein.” Here, the authors could be seen as speaking out of both sides of their mouths because of the finding contradicted their initial stance.

         I am more inclined to agree with Guaoyao because his findings outlined dietary protein needs based on the intensity of physical activity one is doing, but Stokes et. al findings suggested that there is a hard and fast rule of the amount of protein individuals need for hypertrophy. With everything in life, there is no ‘one shoes fits all’ suggestion that will always work. Individuals, based on a number of factors, inclusive of age, race, health status and environmental factors, need for protein, not only just for hypertrophy, but also for everyday use and survival, will be different. Stokes et al’s findings, in certain aspects, agreed with Guaoyao’s as well, because they found that the more muscle protein synthesis will be had with higher resistance training intensity, which would then suggest that more dietary protein would be needed for said muscle protein synthesis to be done at an optimal rate.