Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Would You Pick Protein or Carbohydrates?

Many college students have been going to gym and workout throughout school year. And most of them know that to get a fitter body, “low-carbs, and high-proteins” diet should be incorporated with their workout. It is obvious for the body builders to know that carbohydrates will breakdown into smaller sugar forms. So they would prefer diets with lower-carbs in general. It helps them to reduce the amount of sugar transforming into fat. And yes, it makes perfect sense that taking in plenty of protein allows body to rebuild stronger muscles faster after workout. Yet, for long-term speaking, should we consume as much protein as possible the better?
According to Francine Segan, a food historian, many ancient writers wrote that Olympic athletes would avoid grains and breads for half a year. She also said there are many fragments of other documents suggest that athletes consumed diets rich in protein and fibers—also as known as Mediterranean diet. Even ancient athletes believed in high protein and low carbohydrates diets help to build stronger, more enduring muscles. The fact that high lean protein diets help us build muscles with better performance is supported by many scientific researches.
Another research group led by Stephen Simpson andDavid Le Couteur at the University of Sydney conducted an experiment which assigning different diets to mice and compare their average lifespan. For the result, the low-protein/high-carbohydrate diet appears to extend lifespan. The study shows that animals with this diet had lower blood pressure, better glucose tolerance, and healthier cholesterol. Those mice consumed lots of protein were skinner but lived shorter than the otherwise. But how come fatter animals are healthier? There are findings state that reducing protein intake can lower the level of IGF-1 growth factor, which with higher level has a greater risk of cancer and diabetes. Low level of protein can also lower the level of mTOR, which with a lower level can extend the lifespan of mice.
These studies suggest that high level of protein is able to create the leanest muscles with better performance. However, it could also shorten the lifespan of animals. If high level of protein consumption will lead to shorter lifespan, is most of the body builders and athletes achieving health and longevity or the otherwise?

Posted by Yim Hui

7 comments:

  1. This is a very interesting post relating protein and working out. I definitely consume more protein compared to the amount of carbohydrates I consume. I never knew that it actually might reduce human lifespan. Are there test done on humans comparing health and lifespan on people who consume more protein compared to those who consume more carbohydrates?

    Posted by Amber Vien

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    1. Thank you Amber. This saying is still being tested on animals only. There are research projects on mice and monkey but the human yet. Even this finding is tested and proved true on humans, it does not harm you as long as you are not consuming too much protein in your diet.

      Yim Hui

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  2. wow this is an interesting study, i never would have thought these findings to be true. Does the fact that these finding were found in mice necessarily mean it is true for humans though?
    Posted by Kristen Whitehead

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    1. Thank you Kristen! So far studies for humans are only concerning weight control and muscle performances. Like ancient Olympic athletes, we believe protein benefit our muscle performance. Experiments for testing our life spans are difficult to conduct, so we are still waiting for scientists to test on these findings on humans.

      Yim Hui

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  3. I never thought that having a high carb/low protein diet could lead to a longer life span. Most people mention having more protein in your diet, rather than more carbs. I am also interested to see if they have done such a study in humans, which would be more difficult to facilitate, but bring results that are more meaningful.

    -Samuel Ustayev

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  4. This idea definitely goes against common belief of the general public. However, the standard food pyramid does actually suggest that you eat more servings of breads and grainy foods than meats and other foods high in protein. Clearly there is a need for a balance and no diet will help you get anywhere without the addition of exercise as well.

    Posted by Kevin Barisano

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  5. This is so unfortunate. I'm practically a carnivore I do not consider a meal an actual meal without some type of meat. I understand that eating red meat would lead to a high protein diet, but would not be the healthiest choice. However I wonder if it is a direct result of the protein vs. carbs that the protein-dieted mice died sooner. For instance, eating only steak my whole life would definitely be a bad choice, I would certainly have more health problems than if I ate only bland chicken. Both of these alternatives are high-protein, but one is certainly less healthy. Do you know the means by which the mice consumed high-protein and high-carb diets? Very interesting blog post...maybe I'll eat a fruit cup right now instead of buffalo chicken, haha.

    Posted by Steve Yu

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