posted December 31, 2000 03:09 PM

Staff Use Only: IP: Logged

Just because you stuff 68g of processed, most likely denatured protein down your throat without throwing it up, doesn't mean it's been absorbed, or even digested. It can be digested and absorbed, or it can sit in your colon, contributing to GI problems. Not to mention that if you do end up somehow digesting all of it [unlikely without enzyme supplementation], a big chunk will get turned into glucose. By chronically overeating on protein, your sensitivity to it will drop, just like the insulin sensitivity of carb adicts drops. Like our portley friends who need more and more carbs to secrete insulin, you will need more and more protein to support anabolism. You will need large amounts to just maintain muscle, since protein-disposal enzymes will be secreted by your body to get rid of the exess protein, lest it become toxic. I you don't keep stuffing protein into yourself, those enzymes will do their nasty work on existing amino acids i.e. lean tissue in the absence of dietary aminos i.e. protein. The more protein you OVEReat, the more your body will try to subdue the posible threat of toxicity. Another words, the more you eat the more you need to maintain, let along gain muscle.
See the logic behind supplement companies including FAR too much protein-per-serving in their products?
Sure, 50g of protein, with only 20g carbs and no fat, may be good for a pro who weighs 300lbs in the offseason, takes more drugs than you can shake a needle at, and actually absorbs that much [p.s., even Yates said he had to use enzymes and probiotics to eat 1.5g protein per lb].
But are such products actually healthy, or even condusive to muscle growth for you and me?