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The 30 Grams of Protein Myth

Article Description:
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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 Lopez

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

Diet Supplements Revealed
http://aboutsupplements.com
A review of diet supplements and guide to eating for maximum
fat loss


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