Protein for Athletes Quantity, Quality, and Timing

P rotein has long been the favored macronutrient for athletes. The logic is simple: if you want big muscles and muscle is made of protein, then eating more protein equals more muscle. This simple rationale is more fiction than fact, but it is difficult to convince athletes that protein is not the most important nutrient for sports performance. Flip through the pages of any health and fitness magazine, and it is easy to see why athletes worship at the altar of proteinVmen with bulging muscles who look like cartoon heroes and women with perfectly toned bodies without a drop of cellulite smile from the magazine pages and claim that the latest protein powder, shake, or supplement is all it takes to achieve the perfect body. This review addresses protein quantity, quality, and timing of intake, as well as the myths surrounding the dangers of excess protein, and discusses the inherent difficulty in assessing how much protein is needed to build muscle and fuel performance.