Protein...is extra needed?

 A couple nights ago, I received a great question from one of the boxers at the boxing club.  He basically wanted to know if he should drink protein shakes? My answer...it depends. You need to look at what you're eating in the first place, as in your general diet.  Then look at what you are trying to accomplish, what your goals are.  Then, look at your activity level, are you a competing athlete? Is your sport controlled by weight categories? If you're not an athlete, are you looking to lose weight or gain weight?  These are basic questions, but all should help answer the question at hand, and answer more about your training.

And here are some basic facts regarding protein and the amount you consume daily:
- in a fed person, it contributes to around 5% of you expended energy
- daily requirements for protein is about .8g/kg of body weight per day
- if you're a strength/power athlete, that increases to about 1.6-1.8g//kg of body weight per   day
- if you're an endurance athlete, it is a little less than a strength/power athlete at                   1.2-1.4g/kg of body weight per day

Key roles of protein include, supporting growth, maintenance of body tissues, maintaining fluid/electrolyte balance, repairing exercise-related muscle damage and providing energy and glucose.  All very important within the body and how we feel. So, do you need extra? Well, like I said, it depends.  In general, I usually sway towards the "no" side, but in many cases, you might need extra.  First, protein is a nutrient that can make you feel full, longer. So, in many cases, people who are looking to lose weight, might want a diet with a little more protein.  And to the same point, if you are in that negative energy balance category (i.e. losing weight), having some extra protein will keep it from being used as energy (which, of course, you don't want).

The tricky part comes when you train hard as an athlete, are in negative energy balance because of training and need to keep the weight down because you're in a weight controlled sport.  A protein shake might do you good after you train....but don't go drinking a 300-500 calorie protein shake ONTOP of the meal you're going to have.  If you're eating/drinking an extra 500+ calories a day over and above what you normally intake, you won't be in the negative calories for very long!!