Muscle building: a scientific approach, Part-I(nutrition)

           A fit body is perhaps the first observable sign of good health. But fitness is not just about being physically healthy. Along with all the benefits of exercising(1), a lean body has numerous psychosocial benefits like confidence & personality building, social admiration, increase in self-esteem, and significant improvement in depression, anxiety, stress and other mood disorders, & help us improve our health in all aspects. (2) For achieving all these, there are numerous ways, one of them is work out or muscle building. But, there are many limitations in this way, such as fatigue due to strenuous exercise, boringness of routine life, difficulty in time management, lack of immediate results etc. to name few. But the solution to all these problems is motivation. And the best motivation is a good looking body in shortest possible time and in a healthier way, as “it’s not about doing it more but is all about doing it right.” What’s that “right”, lets discuss.

            There are many literatures and websites explaining schedules, routines, regimens, diet plans etc. But I didn’t found any systematic and wholesome approach as most of them are patchy and biased. As a well-known fact, any fitness regimen depends mostly on two determinants, nutrition & exercise. But there are other small yet vital factors too, which are largely ignored although having significant impact on the outcome. Let’s talk one by one

1.     Nutrition:

Protein: It’s obvious that protein is the most important nutrition for muscle building. The dietary recommendations in a nutshell are

·         Protein supplementation of around 1.3 to 1.8 or 2 g/kg/day & 20-40g per serving appears to be best for most people.(3,4)

·         Few studies suggest, protein intake more than 1.6g/kg/day does not contribute further to resistance exercise training (RET) induced gain in fat-free mass (FFM), however higher amount(2-3g/kg/day).(5,6)

Selection of proteins:

·         Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score (DIAAS) & protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS) are a couple of scientific methods for calculating protein quality.(7)

·         Between ‘whey’ and other proteins, ‘whey’ has advantage of rapid digestibility & greater postprandial response in muscle protein synthesis with higher content of leucine (12.5% of total protein). Hence whey is considered superior to casein, soy & rice proteins.(8)

·         Overall the best benefit of protein can be extracted by adding other vital nutrients like creatine, multi vitamins with vitamin D, calcium, Ω-3 PUFA with DHA & ARA etc.(9)

·         Consuming total daily protein in 3-4 similarly divided doses or 3-4 hours apart throughout the day along with regular resistant exercise gives best results & beneficial effect of maximum protein intake in or around a training session appears to be a myth.(4,10,11)

Carbohydrates: carbs are usually considered to be bad for fitness, but against the common beliefs, a high carb diet is a must for any person involved in rigorous physical activities like bodybuilding.

·         Carbohydrate loading aims to maximize an athlete’s muscle glycogen stores prior to endurance exercise resulting in delayed onset of fatigue (approximately 20%) and improvement in performance of 2%–3%.(12)

·         carbohydrate intakes for strength sports, including bodybuilding, should be between 4–7 g/kg depending on the phase of training.(13)

·         but fat loss is improved with low carb and relatively high protein diet.(13)

·         in simple words: person with normal health aiming at increasing lean body mass like muscles should take high carb with other nutrients & people aiming at reducing body fat along with maintaining muscle mass should take low carb high protein diet.

·         Carbohydrate intake during exercise maintains high levels of carbohydrate oxidation, prevents hypoglycemia, and has a positive effect on the central nervous system. (14)

Fat: fat is most misunderstood and underrated nutrition for fitness although having significant contribution for good health & wellbeing.

·         Excess dietary saturated fat can exacerbate coronary artery disease while low-fat diets result in a reduction in circulating testosterone which has got high influence for muscle building. Hence optimizing fat intake is essential to get good results (15)

·         Usual recommended dietary allowance of fat for muscle builders is 15-20% of their total calorie requirement and for normal people it should be 20-30%. (13)

Other nutrients: for proper utilization of these nutrients along with optimization of body muscle building machinery, numerous supplements and micronutrients are recommended. Few are briefed here with recommendations & references.

·         Creatine: 2-3 g/day supplement of pure form of Creatine monohydrate (CM) can increase muscle creatine store by about 20% and results in increase in stamina and muscle gain without significant side effects.(16,17)

·         Beta-alanine(BA): a short term(1-4wks) course of around 5-7g of BA may be effective in exercise performance improvement. As the long term safety profile is not yet established, a long term use is not recommended at this stage.(18)

·         Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate(HMB): although the allowance recommendation is yet to be worked out, it has proven to be a potentially effective supplement with no adverse effects yet found. Rather HMB may actually decrease blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol.(19–22)

·         Branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s): leucine(max 550mg/kg/day), valine and isoleucine supplementation have proven to increases skeletal muscle protein synthesis, decreases muscle protein degradation, or both. (23–25)

·         Caffeine: 5–6 mg/kg caffeine taken prior to exercise is effective in improving exercise performance. But, as 6mg/kg caffeine is considered as the upper limit for safety, the use of it should be cycled with intermittent gaps or avoided mostly.(26–29)

·         Micronutrients: vitamin D, calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, DHA, ARA etc appear to be beneficial in muscle building and further studies are needed for establishing their effects and recommendations and safety profile.(13)

Although muscle building needs a multi-dimensional approach, nutrition remains the back-bone for achieving proper goals. In the present era of evidence based living, it appears to be most logical to determine every lifestyle intervention based on scientific facts for more productive outcomes. Take care, be healthy & keep smiling……..   

References:

1.         Zadro JR, Shirley D, Andrade TB, Scurrah KJ, Bauman A, Ferreira PH. The Beneficial Effects of Physical Activity: Is It Down to Your Genes? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Twin and Family Studies. Sports Med - Open [Internet]. 2017 Jan 10 [cited 2018 Feb 1];3. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5225201/

2.         Mikkelsen K, Stojanovska L, Polenakovic M, Bosevski M, Apostolopoulos V. Exercise and mental health. Maturitas. 2017 Dec 1;106:48–56.

3.         Phillips SM, Van Loon LJC. Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. J Sports Sci. 2011;29 Suppl 1:S29-38.

4.         Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, Cribb PJ, Wells SD, Skwiat TM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr [Internet]. 2017 Jun 20 [cited 2018 Feb 2];14. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5477153/

5.         Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, Schoenfeld BJ, Henselmans M, Helms E, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2017 Jul 11;

6.         Antonio J, Peacock CA, Ellerbroek A, Fromhoff B, Silver T. The effects of consuming a high protein diet (4.4 g/kg/d) on body composition in resistance-trained individuals. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 May 12;11:19.

7.         Mathai JK, Liu Y, Stein HH. Values for digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) for some dairy and plant proteins may better describe protein quality than values calculated using the concept for protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores (PDCAAS). Br J Nutr. 2017 Feb;117(4):490–9.

8.         Witard OC, Wardle SL, Macnaughton LS, Hodgson AB, Tipton KD. Protein Considerations for Optimising Skeletal Muscle Mass in Healthy Young and Older Adults. Nutrients [Internet]. 2016 Mar 23 [cited 2018 Feb 1];8(4). Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4848650/

9.         Bell KE, Snijders T, Zulyniak M, Kumbhare D, Parise G, Chabowski A, et al. A whey protein-based multi-ingredient nutritional supplement stimulates gains in lean body mass and strength in healthy older men: A randomized controlled trial. PLOS ONE. 2017 Jul 18;12(7):e0181387.

10.       Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, Krieger JW. The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013 Dec 3;10:53.

11.       Pasiakos S, M McLellan T, R Lieberman H. The Effects of Protein Supplements on Muscle Mass, Strength, and Aerobic and Anaerobic Power in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review. Vol. 45. 2014.

12.       Beck KL, Thomson JS, Swift RJ, von Hurst PR. Role of nutrition in performance enhancement and postexercise recovery. Open Access J Sports Med. 2015 Aug 11;6:259–67.

13.       Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ. Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014 May 12;11:20.

14.       Beck KL, Thomson JS, Swift RJ, von Hurst PR. Role of nutrition in performance enhancement and postexercise recovery. Open Access J Sports Med. 2015 Aug 11;6:259–67.

15.       Lambert CP, Frank LL, Evans WJ. Macronutrient considerations for the sport of bodybuilding. Sports Med Auckl NZ. 2004;34(5):317–27.

16.       al HE et. Muscle creatine loading in men. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2018 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8828669/

17.       al KH et. Studies on the safety of creatine supplementation. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2018 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21399917/

18.       The absorption of orally supplied beta-alanine and its effect on muscle carnosine synthesis in human vastus lateralis. - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2018 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16554972/

19.       al EH et. Signaling pathways initiated by beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate to attenuate the depression of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle in response to... - PubMed - NCBI [Internet]. [cited 2018 Feb 4]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17609254/

20.       Rathmacher JA, Nissen S, Panton L, Clark RH, Eubanks May P, Barber AE, et al. Supplementation with a combination of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), arginine, and glutamine is safe and could improve hematological parameters. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2004 Apr;28(2):65–75.

21.       Nissen S, Sharp RL, Panton L, Vukovich M, Trappe S, Fuller JC. beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation in humans is safe and may decrease cardiovascular risk factors. J Nutr. 2000 Aug;130(8):1937–45.

22.       Smith HJ, Mukerji P, Tisdale MJ. Attenuation of proteasome-induced proteolysis in skeletal muscle by {beta}-hydroxy-{beta}-methylbutyrate in cancer-induced muscle loss. Cancer Res. 2005 Jan 1;65(1):277–83.

23.       Børsheim E, Tipton KD, Wolf SE, Wolfe RR. Essential amino acids and muscle protein recovery from resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Oct;283(4):E648-657.

24.       Biolo G, Tipton KD, Klein S, Wolfe RR. An abundant supply of amino acids enhances the metabolic effect of exercise on muscle protein. Am J Physiol. 1997 Jul;273(1 Pt 1):E122-129.

25.       Tipton KD, Wolfe RR. Protein and amino acids for athletes. J Sports Sci. 2004 Jan;22(1):65–79.

26.       Nawrot P, Jordan S, Eastwood J, Rotstein J, Hugenholtz A, Feeley M. Effects of caffeine on human health. Food Addit Contam. 2003 Jan;20(1):1–30.

27.       Ivy JL, Kammer L, Ding Z, Wang B, Bernard JR, Liao Y-H, et al. Improved cycling time-trial performance after ingestion of a caffeine energy drink. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2009 Feb;19(1):61–78.

28.       Green JM, Wickwire PJ, McLester JR, Gendle S, Hudson G, Pritchett RC, et al. Effects of caffeine on repetitions to failure and ratings of perceived exertion during resistance training. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2007 Sep;2(3):250–9.

29.       Duncan MJ, Oxford SW. The effect of caffeine ingestion on mood state and bench press performance to failure. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jan;25(1):178–85.