How does protein supplements work

Women looking to gain muscle should try to get 0. To lose weight, you have to burn off more calories than you consume. Many people trying to diet will eat less thinking that it will lower their calorie intake, but this is a dangerous way to watch your weight. You should still meet the daily recommended amount of protein but incorporating foods that are high in protein and low in calories is a smarter and healthier way to meet your fitness goals. This is one reason why people looking to drop pounds will replace one meal with a protein shake.

Shakes can provide the proper amount of protein without a high number of calories. Protein powder is excellent at nourishing muscle repair and growth. Fitness experts recommend drinking a protein shake 30 minutes prior to or immediately after exercising for this very reason.

During a workout, your muscles are exerting energy and burning off glucose, which breaks the muscles down. Though it may sound counterintuitive, exercising creates small tears in your muscles as they contract. These tears make room for your muscles to get bigger and stronger. Right after working out, your muscles have burned through their store of glucose, which is sugars that your body converts from carbohydrates and stores as glycogen and ATP, an organic chemical found in your body that provides energy.

As your body begins to rest post-workout, the muscles need to repair themselves and rebuild. Protein is a major player in this process, so drinking a protein shake or eating a protein-heavy meal can speed up this process and help your recovery time.

When you have a protein deficiency, your muscles will not be able to rebuild, leaving you weak and tired. Another common time to drink protein shakes is right before bed. Because of this, your body is not rebuilding muscles the way it would while awake, so drinking a shake before bed can aid your body in recovering muscle while you sleep.

Though protein powder is a great way to help with your fitness goals and consume the proper amount of protein, you want to avoid relying too heavily on this as your main source of a protein. A combination of protein powder and protein from food is the best way to see optimal results. Consuming protein is the main reason that we feel full after eating. Using protein powder to make a shake in the mornings is a great way to satiate hunger and provide your body with plenty of energy for the day.

Most people tend to eat a small breakfast, a medium-sized lunch and a large dinner, but the most effective way to help your metabolism to perform efficiently is by flipping this schedule.

Eating a protein-heavy breakfast kickstarts your metabolism first thing in the morning and encourages it to burn fat instead of lean muscle. You also want to consume the most calories in the morning if you can because your body then has the whole day to burn these calories off as opposed to consuming a lot at night when people are usually more sedentary. This means that bodybuilders who turn to protein supplements, instead of simply eating protein-rich foods, could be wasting their money.

There's also evidence that, in the long term, consuming too much protein can lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis and can also worsen existing kidney problems. The Department of Health advises adults to avoid consuming more than twice the recommended daily intake of protein Find out more about eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Rick Miller, clinical and sports dietitian from the BDA, has the following advice for gym-goers and bodybuilders who want to take protein supplements:. Protein supplements are not recommended for children due to the lack of research into long-term effects.

Chris Gibbons, a competitive powerlifter from Chesterfield, says there's a danger that people may mistakenly view supplements as a quick fix to achieve their goals. It's an act of discipline and must be earned through commitment to hard training and a good diet. For more on all kinds of dietary supplements, read the Behind the Headlines special report Supplements: Who needs them?

If you're worried or you have experienced side effects after taking any supplements, especially any that you have bought online, make an appointment to see your GP. UK drug regulator the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA has warned people to be wary of buying illegal sports supplements, as they might contain dangerous ingredients that could cause kidney failure, seizures and heart problems.

An MHRA investigation found 84 illegal products, such as energy and "muscle-gain" products, were being sold containing dangerous ingredients such as steroids, stimulants and hormones. Among products that were taken off the market was a steroid product called Celtic Dragon. This product left 2 men hospitalised with severe jaundice and liver damage.

David Carter, the MHRA's manager of the borderline medicines section, says: "People need to be aware that buying illegal sports supplements can seriously damage your health. Even legal supplements can cause you harm. For example, if you're taking any medicines as well as supplements, the supplements could stop the medicine working properly. Always read the label and, if in doubt, talk to your pharmacist.

In addition, many health claims made about products, foods and medicines sold online aren't proven. Find out more about medicines scams. Although available with a doctor's prescription for a variety of clinical reasons, some steroids are misused when taken as performance-enhancing drugs. They're attractive because they're based on the male hormone testosterone and can therefore improve endurance and performance, and stimulate muscle growth.

One product being sold illegally but still available online, mainly from suppliers based outside the UK, is 2,4-Dinitrophenol DNP.

Protein shakes and powders make a helpful addition to your weight loss journey. If you want to lose weight, you need to induce a negative energy balance, meaning that you should burn more calories than you consume.

This is also known as a calorie deficit There are three different ways to achieve a calorie deficit — either by consuming fewer calories, expending more calories by increasing your physical activity, or a mixture of both 35 , 36 , While a higher protein intake allows you to eat fewer calories without feeling as hungry, protein still contains calories that contribute to your daily total — 4 calories per gram, to be precise.

Thus, eating too much of it may take you out of your calorie deficit and even contribute to a calorie surplus, which would either hinder your weight loss efforts or lead you to gain weight Since increasing your physical activity helps you boost your calories expended, you can try practicing either resistance training or aerobic exercise cardio , which includes walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, and cycling. However, research suggests that a combination of both is the most efficient way to lose weight, as cardio helps achieve a more pronounced weight reduction while resistance training helps maintain or improve your muscle mass 40 , While high protein diets are great for weight loss, overeating protein may still keep you from achieving your desired results.

However, if you can reach your daily protein requirement through natural sources, protein shakes may be unnecessary. Some high-quality protein foods include eggs , milk, meat, fish, poultry, and soy. If you can reach your daily protein target by eating enough high-quality protein foods, you may not need to drink protein shakes.

High protein diets are a great weight loss and muscle building strategy, and protein shakes make it easier to increase your protein intake. Since they may help control your appetite, boost your metabolism, and help you shed some belly fat, protein shakes may be effective for weight loss.

Additionally, they help you gain muscle and improve your performance when combined with resistance training. However, if you eat enough high-quality protein foods throughout the day, taking a protein supplement may be unnecessary. If you want to give protein shakes a go, you can find many animal- and plant-based protein powders in stores and online to fit your needs.

Protein is incredibly important for your health, weight loss, and body composition. This article explains exactly how much protein you should eat.

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