Effect of exercise on protein requirements
Abstract
The effect(s) of exercise on dietary protein requirements has (have) been a controversial topic for many years. Although most expert committees on nutrition have not provided an additional allowance of protein for active individuals, a considerable amount of experimental evidence has accumulated during the past 15 years which indicates that regular exercise does in fact increase protein needs. Part of the confusion is due to methodological difficulties and inadequate control of several interacting factors including: diet composition, total energy intake, exercise intensity, duration and training, ambient temperature, gender, and perhaps even age. Although definitive dietary recommendations for various athletic groups must await future study, the weight of current evidence suggests that strength or speed athletes should consume about 1.2-1.7 g protein/kg body weight.d-1 (approximately 100-212% of current recommendations) and endurance athletes about 1.2-1.4 g/kg.d-1 (approximately 100-175% of current recommendations). These quantities of protein can be obtained from a diet which consists of 12-15% energy from protein, unless total energy intake is insufficient. There is no evidence that protein intakes in this range will cause any adverse effects. Future studies with large sample sizes, adequate controls, and performance as well as physiological/biochemical measures are necessary to fine tune these recommendations.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Total protein needs were 50 to 175% greater in athletes than sedentary controls.
“total protein needs were 50 to 175% greater in athletes than sedentary controls.”
From International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise (2017) · cites this paper as [131]
Cites
Substrate Turnover during Prolonged Exercise in Man
Ahlborg, G., Felig, P., Hagenfeldt, L., Hendler, R., & Wahren, J. (1974) · Journal of Clinical Investigation · doi:10.1172/jci107645 · Cited by 786 · see citing works
Gender differences in substrate for endurance exercise
Tarnopolsky, L. J., MacDougall, J. D., Atkinson, S. A., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Sutton, J. R. (1990) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1990.68.1.302 · Cited by 470 · see citing works
Influence of protein intake and training status on nitrogen balance and lean body mass
Tarnopolsky, M. A., MacDougall, J. D., & Atkinson, S. A. (1988) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1988.64.1.187 · Cited by 277 · see citing works
Prevention of exercise-induced muscle membrane damage by oestradiol
Bär, P. R., Amelink, G. J., Oldenburg, B., & Blankenstein, M. A. (1988) · Life Sciences · doi:10.1016/0024-3205(88)90243-3 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Autophagic response to strenuous exercise in mouse skeletal muscle fibers
Salminen, A., & Vihko, V. (1984) · Virchows Archiv B Cell Pathology Including Molecular Pathology · doi:10.1007/bf02889856 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Effect of Chronic Endurance Exercise on Retention of Dietary Protein
Friedman, J., & Lemon, P. (1989) · International Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1055/s-2007-1024886 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Self-citationEating, Drinking, and Cycling. A Controlled Tour de France Simulation Study, Part 1*
Brouns, F., Saris, W., Stroecken, J., Beckers, E., Thijssen, R., Rehrer, N., & ten Hoor, F. (1989) · International Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1055/s-2007-1024952 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise
Jäger, R., Kerksick, C. M., Campbell, B. I., Cribb, P. J., Wells, S. D., Skwiat, T. M., Purpura, M., Ziegenfuss, T. N., Ferrando, A. A., Arent, S. M., et al. (2017) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8 · Cited by 873 · see citing works
“During in the 1980s and early 1990’s Tarnopolsky [129], Phillips [130], and Lemon [131] first demonstrated that total protein needs were 50 to 175% greater in athletes than sedentary controls.”
BackgroundInternational Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise
Campbell, B., Kreider, R. B., Ziegenfuss, T., La Bounty, P., Roberts, M., Burke, D., Landis, J., Lopez, H., & Antonio, J. (2007) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1186/1550-2783-4-8 · Cited by 716 · see citing works
Protein and amino acids for athletes
Tipton, K. D., & Wolfe, R. R. (2004) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/0264041031000140554 · Cited by 274 · see citing works
Lemon, P. W., Tarnopolsky, M. A., MacDougall, J. D., & Atkinson, S. A. (1992) · Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1152/jappl.1992.73.2.767 · Cited by 241 · see citing works
Self-citationModification of immune responses to exercise by carbohydrate, glutamine and anti‐oxidant supplements
Gleeson, M., & Bishop, N. C. (2000) · Immunology & Cell Biology · doi:10.1111/j.1440-1711.2000.t01-6-.x · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Do Regular High Protein Diets Have Potential Health Risks on Kidney Function in Athletes?
Poortmans, J. R., & Dellalieux, O. (2000) · International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism · doi:10.1123/ijsnem.10.1.28 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Protein Supplement Users Among High School Athletes Have Misconceptions About Effectiveness
Duellman, M. C., Lukaszuk, J. M., Prawitz, A. D., & Brandenburg, J. P. (2008) · Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · doi:10.1519/jsc.0b013e31817394b9 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Perfil de utilização de repositores protéicos nas academias de Belém, Pará
Araújo, A. C. M. D., & Soares, Y. D. N. G. (1999) · Revista de Nutrição · doi:10.1590/s1415-52731999000100007 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
- Authors
- Lemon, P. W. R.
- Affiliations
- Kent State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lemon, Peter W.R.
- ORCID
- Lemon, Peter W.R.
- Venue
- Journal of Sports Sciences
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 1991-06
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- sup1
- Pages
- 53-70
- ISSN
- 0264-0414 (ISSN-L)
- 1466-447X
- OpenAlex
- W2159336902
- Cited by
- 82
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Sports Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
- Keywords
- physical activity, protein requirements, protein intake, athletes, strength athletes, endurance athletes, energy intake, protein distribution
- MeSH terms
- Age Factors, Diet, Dietary Proteins, Humans, Nutritional Requirements, Physical Education and Training, Sex Factors, Temperature, Exercise
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
