GETTING TOO MUCH ‘P’?

Protein – it’s in your shake, your fortified cereal, oh, and pretty much everything else

The UK protein market is growing faster than your reusable bottle collection, as fortified foods transition from gym bag to shopping basket. But do you really need to eat chocolate bars and breakfast cereals packed with the stuff?

Much like sheet masks and the return of Queer Eye, you may feel like the modern ubiquity of protein has crept up on you. If it started with the parade of eating plans preaching the benefits of prioritising protein – Atkins, Dukan, Paleo et al – we suspect it was cemented by a social feed filled with artfully shot oats and eggs. Now, the stuff that was once the chalky preserve of kit bags is sexier than a Diet Coke window cleaner. So don’t be surprised that the food industry is muscling in on the action. Take a stroll down any snack aisle and you’ll see protein everywhere. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of new food products claiming to be ‘high-protein’ rose by almost 500%, according to market researcher Mintel. And it isn’t just the usual suspects, the likes of which you regularly chug and chew on post-workout. ‘High-protein’ has replaced ‘low-fat’ as the marketing brag of choice – traditional Icelandic yoghurt-like dairy product skyr is now heavily marketed by brands such as Arla for its protein content, and Weetabix On The Go includes a range of protein breakfast drinks. Shreddies, Mars and Batchelors Cup A Soup have all launched high-protein products, and Coca-cola execs predict the company’s protein milk, Fairlife, will ‘rain money’ for the brand. Speaking of rain, water hasn’t escaped the protein treatment, either. Recently launched ‘protein water’ Vieve claims to be natural, sugar-free, fat-free and high-protein – a list of traits that could all be applied to any old glass of tap water with the exception of one: each bottle contains 20g protein, mainly derived from collagen. Throwing the ‘p’ at everything from milk to Mars bars might shift stock, but does protein deserve this health halo? Let’s go back to basics. The amino acids from which protein is comprised are essential to sustain your muscles and bones, as well as synthesising many of the hormones and enzymes at work in your body. And helping you build muscle isn’t the only trick protein has up its bulging sleeve; it also stimulates the release of glucose in the small intestine, which helps you feel full. In fact, a 2013 paper from the University of Missouri found that a high-protein breakfast staves off hunger more effectively than a regular bowl of (unfortified) cereal, even when both dishes provide the same number of calories. And that’s not all. Research published in the Journal Of Nutrition found that eating a serving of protein at every meal helps maintain muscle strength and even promotes healthy ageing, while a Japanese study from 2014 found that eating animal protein could be associated with a lower risk of mental decline. Win.

CASEIN POINT

Problem is, not all proteins are created equal. You have whey and casein, both found in milk, as well as plant-based options such as those extracted from soy, pea and hemp. And did you know one of the many growth areas for the high-protein industry is that derived from insects – crickets, grasshoppers and the like? Typically, only the animalderived varieties contain all essential and non-essential amino acids. They also offer more protein per calorie. Case in point: quinoa. Although the grain is one of the few vegan protein sources to contain every amino acid necessary for the human body, you’d have to consume almost 550 calories (that’s about 460g, cooked) of the stuff in order to score 20g protein, according to dietitian Chris Mohr. To get the same from a steak would take less than 200 calories. Obviously, you’re likely to want your protein delivered in more manageable packages, which is why fortified foods have become such a lucrative market. Consider, too, that 18% of consumers say they’ll part with more cash for a snack if it has added nutritional benefits and you begin to understand why marketers are so quick to use the ‘p’ word. But do you really need to supplement your diet with this stuff? For adults, the reference nutrient intake (RNI) for protein is 0.75g per kg of body weight, rising by 6g per day in pregnancy and 11g per day when you’re breastfeeding. It means if you’re a woman weighing 60kg, your RNI is 45g per day. But increasing numbers of us are putting away far more than that. Women in the UK are eating, on average, 64g per day, according to the British Nutrition Foundation. Part of the problem,

‘You already consume more protein as part of your everyday diet than you might think’

suggests Dr Zoë Harcombe, a researcher in public health nutrition, is that protein is already present in almost all of the food you eat – not just chicken breast. ‘Nature tends to create foods with either a mix of carbs and proteins – vegetables, grains, legumes – or fats and proteins, such as meat, fish and eggs. Nuts and seeds contain a combination of all three,’ she explains. ‘It means you already consume more protein as part of your everyday diet than you might think.’ Let’s start with the obvious sources. Per 100g, chicken breast contains around 31g protein, while cod has 18g and tofu 8g – a boiled egg contains 6g. ‘At my size and with my activity levels, I need roughly 50g protein a day,’ says Dr Harcombe. ‘I could get that from a couple of tuna steaks. But I’m still taking on protein from almost everything else I eat during the day: porridge, salad, rice, dark chocolate, you name it.’ And if you’re topping up your diet with fortified foods, too? You’ll find 10g protein in an Eat Natural soya-enriched Protein Packed Peanut And Chocolate bar, and a full 20g in a bag of Novo Sweet Southern BBQ Chicken Protein Bites.

MACRO ECONOMICS

All this means you’re about as likely to fall short of your daily protein RNI as you are to get a Christmas invite from the royals. But can you have too much of a good thing? ‘Excess protein will circulate in the body to be used for muscle building, hormones, making enzymes or whatever the body needs at that time,’ explains Priya Tew, registered dietitian at Dietitian UK. ‘But whether the body stores protein as fat or converts it to glucose and burns it as energy depends on your overall diet composition. If there’s not enough carbohydrate, excess protein is converted and burnt as fuel. If there is enough carbohydrate, or you’re taking on excess calories, then it’ll be stored as fat. Over time, this could lead to weight gain.’ That’s not all. Excessive dietary protein is thought to contribute to the deterioration of kidney function in those who have kidney disease, and while the long-term risks of taking on excess protein aren’t clear, a 2013 paper published in the journal ISRN Nutrition concluded that an excess of protein could be at best useless, and at worst harmful for healthy individuals. The paper highlighted athletes, bodybuilders and anyone who ‘self-prescribed protein supplements’ as among those who could be at risk of placing a metabolic burden on their bones, kidneys and liver.

‘Adding protein to crisps and cakes doesn’t make them virtuous’

And spare a thought for what you’re not eating when you’re following a highprotein diet. ‘I wouldn’t recommend a diet excessively high in any single macronutrient, not just protein,’ says Dr Mayur Ranchordas, a senior lecturer and sports nutrition consultant at Sheffield Hallam University. He also recommends that you approach the alleged dangers of overconsumption with a healthy scepticism. ‘We can speculate that high-protein diets might cause problems,’ he says, ‘but the data is not as clear as it is for high-carbohydrate diets, which are known to cause insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, obesity, heart disease and type-2 diabetes.’ So, what do you need to bear in mind when you’re eyeing up fortified foods? Be led by your needs, not by marketing speak. ‘Guidance from the American College of Sports Medicine, Dietitians of Canada and the International Society of Sports Nutrition all suggests that people who are training regularly need more protein than the RNI,’ says clinical and sports dietitian Rick Miller. ‘If your training doesn’t have a focus on building muscle, then 1.2 to 1.5g protein per kilogram of body weight is sufficient. If your goal is to build muscle or the sport you’re doing has significant strength and power elements, such as sprinting, then 1.6 to 2g protein per kilogram is more suitable.’ It means that if those kettlebells you asked for last Christmas are currently coated in 11 months’ worth of dust, and you’ve taken your gym kit to work three times this week only to bring it home again still clean, we suggest you swerve the protein-fortified food trend. Protein is not a muscle-building elixir in and of itself – and in any case, it’s likely your regular diet already has you covered. If you’re smashing out upwards of three workouts a week, however, then, by all means, supplement your intake. But unless you’re happy to fork out more for a loaf of bread that’s less delicious, it’s easier – and cheaper – to add an extra scoop of high-quality protein powder to your shake or porridge. And remember, a protein-fortified Mars bar is still a Mars bar. As Dr Harcombe puts it, ‘Adding protein to crisps and cakes doesn’t make them virtuous; it just makes them junk foods with added protein. Nature didn’t “forget” to make protein biscuits.’