Dietary protein safety and resistance exercise: what do we really know?
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BioMed Central
Open Access
Review
Dietary protein safety and resistance exercise: what do we really know? Lonnie M Lowery*1,2 and Lorena Devia1 Address: 1Nutrition Assessment Laboratory, Nutrition Center, 210 Schrank Hall South, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, 44325-6103, USA and 2Nutrition Exercise and Wellness, Inc. P.O. Box 228 Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 44222, USA Email: Lonnie M Lowery* - [email protected]; Lorena Devia - [email protected] * Corresponding author
Published: 12 January 2009 Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2009, 6:3
doi:10.1186/1550-2783-6-3
Received: 14 August 2008 Accepted: 12 January 2009
This article is available from: http://www.jissn.com/content/6/1/3 © 2009 Lowery and Devia; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract Resistance trainers continue to receive mixed messages about the safety of purposely seeking ample dietary protein in their quest for stimulating protein synthesis, improving performance, or maintaining health. Despite protein's lay popularity and the routinely high intakes exhibited by strength athletes, liberal and purposeful protein consumption is often maligned by "experts". University textbooks, instructors, and various forms of literature from personal training groups and athletic organizations continue to use dissuasive language surrounding dietary protein. Due to the widely known health benefits of dietary protein and a growing body of evidence on its safety profile, this is unfortunate. In response, researchers have critiqued unfounded educational messages. As a recent summarizing example, the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Position Stand: Protein and Exercise reviewed general literature on renal and bone health. The concluding remark that "Concerns that protein intake within this range [1.4 – 2.0 g/kg body weight per day] is unhealthy are unfounded in healthy, exercising individuals." was based largely upon data from non-athletes due to "a lack of scientific evidence". Future studies were deemed necessary. This assessment is not unique in the scientific literature. Investigators continue to cite controversy, debate, and the lack of direct evidence that allows it. This review discusses the few existing safety studies done specific to athletes and calls for protein research specific to resistance trainers. Population-specific, long term data will be necessary for effective education in dietetics textbooks and from sports governing bodies.
Introduction There appears to be an element of disconnectedness between scientific evidence and health messages offered to students and athletes. Statements of concern over the effects of ample dietary protein intakes appear in Table 1. Research on healthy populations, however, does not support such concerns. On
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