Three highly respected organizations recently released a new position paper on sports nutrition touting the benefits of dairy protein. In it, the American College of Sports Medicine, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Dietitians of Canada take a fresh look at protein recommendations for athletes of all levels. Specifically, when and how often protein should be consumed.

As highlighted in a NUTRAIngredients-USA media story summarizing the position paper’s updated protein recommendations, endurance athletes are often viewed as needing less protein than power athletes. However, according to Travis Thomas of the University of Kentucky’s College of Health Sciences, one of the paper’s lead authors, all athletes should consume protein based on their training cycles and goals.

"One of the key messages with protein is that we shouldn’t categorize athletes as endurance athletes or power athletes,” Thomas tells NUTRAIngredients-USA. “Previously, if you fell into one camp or another there was a difference in the total amount recommended. Now we key it to the actual stage of their training."  

Whether professional athletes or casual gym attendees, high quality, complete proteins should be consumed for maximum results. The position paper notes that while further studies are warranted, dairy proteins seem to be superior to other tested proteins, largely due to their branched-chain amino acids content, including leucine.¹

The paper also recommends consuming protein throughout the day instead of at the end of each training session, with consumption falling between 1.2 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. Dairy proteins can be formulated to assist in crafting unique, nutritious foods and beverages suitable for consistent consumption to meet these protein recommendations.

For more information on health and wellness, visit Nutrition & Trends – Dairy Proteins. The position paper can be found here.

¹Thomas DT Erdman, KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. J. Acad. Nutr. Diet. 2016; 116(3): 501-528.