Did you know...
Often we read about use of the proteins in physical activities that require muscle mass (eg bodybuilding). But why generally athletes need to supplement their diet with a significant amount of protein in different sports?
We consider few factors that can help us to better understand this increased demand of our body*:
- Compared to a sedentary person, the athlete who practices physical activity has a greater muscle mass and a lower fat mass and requires a protein supplementation in the diet.
- An intense workout that involves muscle mass results in a significant degradation of tissue compared with sedentary subjects
- Athletes uses as energy sources, in addition to carbohydrates and fats, proteins to produce oxidative energy, in a percentage which increases according to the duration of the physical exercise that is related to a decrease in glycogen stores
*from "Alimentazione per lo sport e la salute di Pierluigi Biagi, Antonio Di Giulio, Amelia Fiorilli, Antonello Lorenzini"