The 30 Grams of Protein Myth

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The 30 Grams of Protein Myth

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Q: Hey Will, I was told by a trainer in my gym that 30 grams of

protein is the upper limit a person can digest, but he could not

tell me where that rule comes from. A: It has been a long debated

topic how much protein a person can digest at any one time.

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Distribution Date and Time: 2006-05-23 11:48:00

Written By: Will Brink

Copyright: 2006

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The 30 Grams of Protein Myth

Copyright © 2006 Will Brink

Brink Zone

http://www.brinkzone.com

Q: Hey Will, I was told by a trainer in my gym that 30 grams of

protein is the upper limit a person can digest, but he could not

tell me where that rule comes from. He said it was a " known

fact " and walked away when I questioned his source. So what is

the deal with this 30 gram rule? Is this guy full of it or should

I worry about it? My stats are: 5'9 " and 220lbs with about 10%

bodyfat. I lift weights (heavy!) 4 days per week and do aerobics

2-3 day per week.

Thank you, Tod

A: It has been a long debated topic how much protein a person can

digest at any one time. Nutritionists and doctors have maintained

for decades that " people can only digest 30 grams at a time of

protein and any additional protein is wasted or converted to

fat. " So say the powers that be.

Now, I wish I could examine the study or research they are

basing this advice on so I could dispute it but I can't. Why you

ask? Because in all my years of searching the medical data banks,

talking to researchers, and falling asleep in the medical library

after hours of reading, I have been unable to find exactly where

this advice comes from or what it's based on.

At one time, I went so far as to offer a reward to anyone who

could show me a recent study that showed that 30 grams of protein

was the upper limit anyone could digest, regardless of age,

weight, and activity levels.

Why is it 30 grams? Why not 28 or 35? Are we saying that the

digestive and absorptive abilities of a 285 pound 23 year old

football player is the same as a 50 year old 115 pound women?

Now digestion is a very complex topic. Many people think you eat

some protein, it mixes with some acid or something, gets broken

down into amino acids, gets taken up into the body, and everyone

is happy.

I wish it were that simple. As with all foods, the breakdown of

protein starts in the mouth with the simple chewing of food and

the exposer to certain enzymes. In the stomach, food mixes with

enzymes and other factors such as lipase, pepsin, intrinsic

factor, and of course HCL (stomach acid).

It moves onto the small intestine and then the large

intestine.The small intestine is considered the major anatomical

site of food digestion and nutrient absorption and is made up of

section such as the duodenum, jejunum, and the ileum. Pancreatic

enzymes (chymotrypsin, trypsin, etc.), bile salts, gastrin,

cholecystokinin, pepidases, as well as many others factors are

released here.

The large intestine is composed of the ascending colon,

transverse colon, descending colon, and the sigmoid colon, which

all play a part in absorbing the nutrients we eat. Sound

complicated? It is. Believe me, I am leaving out a great deal of

information so you wont fall asleep reading my little column!

Suffice it to say, digestion is a very complicated thing and

there are many places along the chain of digestion that can both

enhance and degrade a persons ability to absorb the foods we

eat.

There is no reason to think that among this complicated process

that there are not wide individual differences in a persons

ability to digest and absorb protein. For some person who is

inactive, elderly, and for what ever reason lives with

compromised digestion, 30 grams of protein at one sitting might

very well be too much for them to handle.

By the same token, assuming a 220lbs healthy athlete is unable

to exceed 30 grams of protein in one sitting is neither proven by

medial science or even logical in my view. So what if the 30 gram

rule turns out to be true? If we examine some of the more recent

studies on the protein requirements of athletes done by

researchers from both the United Sates and Canada , we come to

some recommended protein intakes that far exceed the RDAs, some

times by as mush as 225%!

These researchers came to the conclusion that protein intakes

for athletes should range from approximately 1.2 grams of protein

per kilogram of bodyweight for endurance athletes and up to 1.8g

of protein per kg for strength training athletes. For a 200 pound

bodybuilder-a strength training athlete-that would be

approximately 164 grams of protein per day (most bodybuilders I

know eat considerably more protein per day, but that's for

another fight and another article...). Assuming that 30 grams of

protein is the most anyone can digest, absorb, and utilize, this

person would have to split his intake into about five meals (164

divided by 30 = 5.47). So, given the advice by many people that

30 grams is all anyone can digest at a single sitting, it appears

a person can achieve the goal of 30 grams of protein per meal

even with the higher intakes recommended in the modern research

(assuming they are willing or able to eat five meals per day).

However, if you happen to eat more than that per meal as a

healthy athlete I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I wont tell anyone. Me, I would suggest you stick to the one gram

per pound of bodyweight rule, which often exceeds the research

mentioned above. Also, read the " Protein Myth " article at the

BrinkZone site for more info on this topic.

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Will Brink writes for numerous health, fitness, medical, and

bodybuilding publications. His articles can be found in Life

Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise

For Men Only, Oxygen, Women's World, The Townsend Letter For

Doctors and many more. His website is http://www.brinkzone.com

Muscle Building Nutrition

http://musclebuildingnutrition.com

A complete guide bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain

lean muscle

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http://aboutsupplements.com

A review of diet supplements and guide to eating for maximum

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