WAY TO PRO

A new study1 suggests protein could help you run faster as well as recover and repair. For the study, 10 participants, in three groups, ran 20km, 5km, 10km and 20km over four days. The first group ate a diet low in protein – 0.94g per kg of body weight – the second, a moderate-protein diet (1.2g per kg) and the third, a diet high in protein (1.83g per kg). In a 5km time trial, the runners on the high-protein diet were 1.5 per cent faster – about 16 secs – than those who ate lower amounts, possibly because they ‘maintained whole-body protein balance’, says study author Daniel Moore. This balance may have been helpful in maintaining muscle strength, which can improve performance.