What is the relationship between athletic performance and dietary protein intake?
Despite all the academic debate over the proposed benefits of oral protein supplementation based on protein synthesis and nitrogen balance, the true measuring stick is athletic performance. Demonstrating clear athletic performance benefits is very difficult to achieve because of the many confounding factors involved such as gender, specific sport, varying training routines within a single sport and an athlete’s normal diet to name just a few. Supplemental protein intake is unnecessary for most athletes as long as they consume a healthy diet containing complete protein foods, and it meets their energy needs. However up to 1/5 of all athletes consume levels of protein below the estimated requirements for sedentary individuals. There are risk factors for athletes that do not have a sufficient dietary protein intake including vegetarians, athletes in weight-class competition sports, those with insufficient energy intake, sudden increases in training intensity and athletes in weight loss pr
