Protein Myths You Probably Still Believe

A lot of people are talking about protein right now but what you're hearing is probably quite confusing.

Bad for kidneys!

Bad for bones!

You're already eating too much!

You're going to gain weight.

I'm going to tell you what the science has to say about protein and I'll give you some practical tips to use protein effectively.

I've been coaching people for over 20 years which means I've heard enough protein myths to write a book. But I'm going to start with this video.

The first myth is:

You Only Need Protein If You're Building Muscle

Yes, you need protein to repair and build muscle.

But it's not a macronutrient that's just important for athletes and bodybuilders.

Protein repairs other tissues too. It supports the immune system and produces hormones. Protein also helps to promote healthy skin, hair, and nails.

Even when we are talking about muscle, it's important that we all focus on maintaining and even building muscle as we get older. I'm not talking about senior jacked bodybuilders, although those exist of course. Muscle is important for you, and for your mom and dad, maybe even your grandparents, if you've still got them. Muscle helps you move and function throughout your life.

Despite a few nasty comments I've received when making muscle building videos, I work hard to maintain and build muscle. I'm never going to have a huge amount of absolute muscle because of my body type, because I'm a woman, and a lifetime natural. But I'm hanging on to whatever I can as I get older because I know it's going to make a difference to how strong and mobile I am in the upcoming decades.

Having enough protein makes that more likely.

More Protein Always Means More Muscle

While protein is essential for muscle growth, consuming excessively high amounts doesn't automatically lead to more muscle gain.

Muscle growth also depends on some sort of stimulus, generally from strength training. It's kind of like trying to build a house you can have all the bricks in the world but without a builder you're just sitting on a pile of bricks.

Now there was a small study that showed an increase in muscle just by adding protein. So no exercise. But I'm tempted to think that this was because the subjects were so low in protein before that they were finally able to get some sort of lean muscle development through just their minimal daily activities.

Generally though you need the stimulus of resistance exercise, which for some people could just be body weight exercises initially, to get muscle development. And there's an upper limit to how much more protein will add additional muscle.

You're likely maximizing your muscle protein synthesis somewhere around 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. Beyond that the protein will be used for other things.

You NEED Protein Shakes

Another myth is that you need protein shakes.

While protein shakes can be helpful as a quick and easy source of protein they're not necessary.

The higher your protein needs, however, the more helpful they can be. My husband, for instance, is 6' 3 and about 230 lbs and he generally tries to get just under 1g per pound of protein per day.

That almost always requires a whey protein shake and during some periods of heavy training he's had two. Because trying to force himself to eat around 200 g of protein in whole food form can be a challenge otherwise.

Especially when you're trying to manage a relatively lower calorie intake for fat loss a simple whey protein isolate for instance provides a solid amount of protein close to 30 grams for a very small amount of calories usually about 120 to 130.

If you're eating T-bone steaks as your main protein source you're going to have a hard time getting into a calorie deficit and losing fat.

For those of us who are smaller and don't need as much protein it's less important but when I'm focused on muscle building I usually like to drink away protein shake after my workouts. It's only that 130 calories 30 gram of protein and it's pretty tasty. It's often easier just to cover my bases especially when I'm busy and I'm not sure when I'm going to be eating.

Protein Causes Weight Gain

Protein itself does not cause you to gain fat. Like any nutrient, if it's consumed in excess it can contribute to a calorie surplus, which may lead to fat gain. Again, your protein sources are the key here. If you overdo it on burgers and juicy steaks sure the scale might move up but generally protein improves satiety and it can help with appetite control which is a major part of a successful fat loss plan.

In fact if you overfeed with a pure source of protein (meaning it doesn't have additional fat or carbs) something like whey protein isolate, lean chicken breast, or egg whites it's less likely to be stored as fat than carbs or fat. Your body may use that extra protein to build lean muscle mass. And that as we've already talked about is a very good thing.

High Protein Diets Are Bad For Your Kidneys

This myth stems from concerns about people with pre-existing kidney conditions where their body doesn't process protein effectively. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) - that's one of the hardest words in the English language to pronounce - does increase when you increase protein in your diet. So some people suggest that you're "wearing out" your kidneys by eating more protein. The data says otherwise.

There was a meta-analysis, which is a study of studies, where they found that high protein intakes do not adversely influence kidney function or GFR in healthy adults.

High Protein Diets Lead To Bone Loss

Another myth is that high protein diets lead to bone loss.

This myth suggests that protein leeches calcium from your bones. Very similar to the kidney myth, what was found in early research was that increased protein intake led to increased calcium excretion in the urine. They just assumed because something was coming out that it was a negative thing but it's really just an indicator that something has passed through the system rather than anything bad.

Another meta analysis concluded that: "current evidence shows no adverse effects of higher protein intakes although there were positive trends on bone mineral density at most bone sites."

That means it was actually better. The lumber spine showed moderate evidence to support benefits of higher protein intake. In the study they also stated that 50% of bone by volume is protein which means that you need enough protein to have healthy bone. That's what I was talking about before. Other tissues need protein.

Plant-Based Proteins Are NOT Effective For Muscle Growth

Protein quality refers to how well a protein can meet the body's needs for essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein as I learned in University.

There are 20 of these amino acids, nine of which are considered essential because the body can't make them on its own and has to obtain them from the diet. So if you're only using plant-based sources of protein you want to get a mix of sources so that you're getting complete protein in your diet. But it doesn't have to be at every meal, just consistently from day to day.

In terms of digestibility, even if a protein has the right amino acids the body has to be able to efficiently digest and absorb them.

Protein digestibility is affected by the protein source and how it's prepared so animal proteins do tend to be more digestible than plant proteins. Although plant protein digestibility can be improved through proper cooking and processing.

Leucine And Muscle Growth

Now Leucine is the primary amino acid that we talk about when we're talking about muscle growth.

Soybeans and lentils, peanuts, peas, brown rice all contain pretty decent amounts of Leucine. So as long as you're choosing good plant-based protein sources and you're mixing them up, then you should be fine.

But some of these plant-based protein sources can be harder for your body to digest and absorb so you might want to consume a slightly higher amount of protein if you're only getting your protein from plant-based sources. But if you're having a regular mixed diet like I do that includes both animal and plant sources, it's probably nothing to worry about now.

What Are High Quality Protein Sources?

High quality protein sources include eggs, milk, fish, chicken, and beef.

Some plant proteins like soy and hemp are complete proteins on their own. Most other plant-based sources while they might have all the essential amino acids (quinoa would be a good example) they have them in such small amounts that it almost doesn't really count.

In general, high quality proteins are more effective at supporting growth repair and overall health compared to lower quality proteins. So you might need a little bit more protein if you're strictly plant-based. but not a lot more.

So you can get totally swole on plants. Maybe not Joey Swole- swole but pretty swole.

You Can Only Absorb 20-30g Of Protein Per Meal

Now part of the issue with this myth is the word "absorb".

Your body can absorb and utilize whatever protein it takes in it might be for your immune system for your hormones, muscle, skin, and other tissues.

What most people are really talking about is what's the maximum amount of protein that will be used for muscle protein synthesis at one time.

Now previous studies reported that taking in 20 to 25 gram of protein at a time was enough to maximize post exercise muscle protein synthesis rates in healthy young adults. There was no increase in muscle protein synthesis rates when larger amounts of protein were consumed.

The body can still absorb and utilize more than that amount with the excess being used for those bodily functions I talked about muscle protein synthesis does vary from person to person and depending on the protein source and how much you eat at one time.

Protein And Muscle Aging

We know that muscle protein turnover the rate that muscle protein synthesis muscle protein breakdown decreases with age. These studies were on University students in their 20s which is what most studies are done on and they aren't necessarily accounting for your recovery as someone in their late 30s, 40s, or 50s.

How Much Protein Can You Use For Muscle Protein Synthesis Per Meal?

There was a recent study in just 2023 where they showed that the ingestion of 100 gram of protein resulted in a greater and a longer anabolic response greater than 12 hours when compared to the ingestion of just 25 g of protein.

So you can have that 100 g of protein all at once and your body's going to use it for muscle protein synthesis.

Maximizing Muscle Growth With Protein

Just a quick tip when it comes to muscle growth.

Spreading protein intake throughout the day is generally recommended for optimizing muscle growth three meals a day and preferably four.

You Need Protein Immediately After Your Workout

This is something called the anabolic window.

We used to talk about it a lot about 15 years ago, the idea that you must consume protein immediately after a workout to maximize your muscle gain.

Now we know that it's likely overstated. While post-workout protein can be useful, especially if you haven't eaten for several hours, muscle protein protein synthesis remains elevated for a longer period of time.

In response to exercise, muscle protein synthesis briefly increases. Muscle protein breakdown also increases or remains the same. It remains elevated for a longer period of time afterwards, several hours.

Your muscles are not Cinderella's Carriage they don't turn into pumpkins if you wait too long to eat. As long as you get in your protein within a few hours, you're good. And it's the total amount of protein that you're getting per day that's going to make a difference.

So as long as you're getting 0.7g per pound per day of protein or 1.6g per kilo per day (in the more correct fully metric version). People get upset about the other version sometimes.

A lot of these myths came from the comments that I got in a previous video that I did about protein. To make sure you're using protein properly for fat loss watch THIS VIDEO HERE.

Ivana Chapman