Abstract
These days, a variety of diets exists, and high-protein appears to be one of the most popular. A wide range of literature and scientific studies devoted to this topic exists, including numerous experiments with people of different activity levels. While it is associated with negative consequences for the general population, there is uncertainty in this regard in the context of combining with a high level of activity. Some researchers report its negative effect on organisms, though others find this type of nutrition harmless. Therefore, the necessity to explore this issue further is apparent.
Introduction
In the context of present-day developments, the field of nutrition and dieting is actively developing, supplying people with relevant advice in this regard is being constantly published. A high-protein diet has obtained popularity among a vast category of people, who control their diet, as it allows to lose weight effectively during a relatively short period. Recent researches on this topic assume that this type of nutrition may be harmful in the context of health condition for the general population in the long run, though it is still recommended for athletes. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to conduct research on the issue of harmfulness and usefulness of a high-protein diet for people, who are engaged in sports activities professionally.
Literature Review
As it has been mentioned above, the topic of nutrition and sports diets presents a matter of interest for numerous researchers. Therefore, a sufficient number of experiments both on male and female athletes were conducted. Egan Protein Intake for Athletes and Active Adults: Current Concepts and Controversies (2016) provides a summary of the topic, which is essential to be read while getting acquainted with an issue. It contains definitions, which are important for the comprehension of the question, such as which amount of protein should be regarded as high (Egan, 2016). His study includes all the relevant information related to protein consumption and the doses.
In addition, the article is informative in the context of revealing and describing controversies surrounding high protein intakes. Therefore, it provides an analysis and summary of recent researches in this field. The author marks the positive effect of a high-protein diet combined with regular physical exercise, as well as negative consequences of adhering to this type of nutrition during a long period (Egan, 2016). However, he considers the latter relatively preliminary and concludes that this aspect appears to be individual and dependent on the specialties of a particular organism.
Another perspective on this issue is provided by a group of scientists Jang et al. They explored gut microbiota and its connection to health promotion and physical exercise. Jang et al. (2019) emphasize that sportsmen usually avoid dietary fiber and starch in their diet, which may contribute to the reduction of microbial diversity and lead to problems with gut microbiota. After conducting an experiment evaluating the physical activity indicators and analyzing the nutrition of people of different activity levels (Jang et al., 2019). The results depicted that high-protein diets may be harmful to organisms, as they imply a negative influence on microbial diversity.
Jose Antonio appears to be an active researcher in the field of high-protein intake by resistance-trained individuals, and he has published multiple studies in this regard both independently and in collaboration with other scientists. He explored numerous details on this topic: the influence on men and women and positive and negative effects (Antonio, 2019: Antonio et al., 2016; Antonio et al., 2018). High-Protein Diets in Trained Individuals, A High Protein Diet Has no Harmful Effects: A One-Year Crossover Study in Resistance-Trained Males, High Protein Consumption in Trained Women: Bad to the Bone? supply an in-depth insight into this topic (Antonio, 2019: Antonio et al., 2016; Antonio et al., 2018). In addition, all of them contain experiments on people with a high level of activity (Antonio, 2019: Antonio et al., 2016; Antonio et al., 2018). All of them did not highlight the negative consequences of this type of nutrition, though it should be mentioned that the maximum amount of protein was 2.2 g/kg/d. Therefore, although the topic of adherence to a high-protein diet among athletes is comprehensively explored by modern nutritionists, there are still controversies in this regard.
Methodology
Thus, the sample population should involve both female and male resistance-trained adolescents. Their health state should be evaluated comprehensively before experiments. They should adhere to a high-protein diet for a long period, for instance, for a year. After the experiment, their health state should be compared to the evaluation conducted earlier, using the same indicators. A significant amount of attention should be drawn to kindness operation, as there are assumptions that it is extremely vulnerable to this type of nutrition. The state of his bacterial should be examined as well, as it is also supposed to be sensitive for high-protein intake. In addition, other possible negative impacts should be taken into consideration. Therefore, the major method for revealing the consequences of this diet implies comparing the evaluation results before and after a year of sticking to high-protein intake. The data should be examined, and the average outcome of all the participants should be presented.
Rationale
These days, nutrition problems appear to be extremely hot-button, and almost every individual encounters the necessity to stick to a particular diet or restrict food consumption to some extent. A great number of people prefer to follow a high-protein diet, as it supplies successful results in the process of losing weight and making muscles more shredded. Today, a huge variety of protein supplements exist, which are supposed to substitute sweet and accomplish training in order to reach the desired results. Therefore, the relevance of exploring the issue of high-protein intake among athletes is evident. This category of people is extremely interested in caring for their health condition. Sportsmen cope with extreme physical activity on a regular basis, and in case it is not accompanied by sufficient nutrition, it may cause various diseases and injuries. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that this approach is not harmful to organisms in the long run or examine the weak sides of this diet in order to propose supplements.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be mentioned that high-protein diets have gained popularity among athletes. Although the negative effect for the general population is proved by evidence, the influence on athletes causes controversies. Some scientists find confirmation of negative consequences of high-protein intake, while other experiments do not approve this position. Therefore, the necessity to conduct further exploration in this field can be explained by uncertainty in science in this regard.
References
Antonio, J. (2019). High-protein diets in trained individuals. Research in Modern Medicine, 27(2), 195-203. Web.
Antonio, J., Ellerbroek, A., Silver, T., Vargas, L., Tamayo, A., Buehn, R., & Peacock, C. A. (2016). A high protein diet has no harmful effects: A one-year crossover study in resistance-trained males. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism. Web.
Antonio, J., Ellerbroek, A., Evans, C., Silver, T., & Peacock, C. A. (2018). High protein consumption in trained women: bad to the bone?. Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition, 15(6). Web.
Egan, B. (2016). Protein intake for athletes and active adults: Current concepts and controversies. Nutrition Bulletin, 41(3), 202-213. Web.
Jang, L. G., Choi, G., Kim, S. W., Kim, B. Y., Lee, S., & Park, H. (2019). The combination of sport and sport-specific diet is associated with characteristics of gut microbiota: an observational study. Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition, 16(21) (2019). Web.