Be careful with responses. People paying for a product likely tend to (unconsciously) overstate the benefits to justify their continued use and purchases. Do a google scholar search for blinded studies on whey protein consumption.
Ask HN: Do You Take Protein Suppliments? Any Noticeable Benefits?
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Re: Ask HN: Do You Take Protein Suppliments? Any Noticeable Benefits?
#12Protein supplements, like all supplements, are for when you're falling short of your nutritional goals after accounting for your normal food intake. If you're getting enough protein through meals, then there is no need. Many people who lift weights try to achieve about 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, which can be a lot. Protein supplements make that number easier to hit. Beyond that, there is little to no evidence that getting protein via a supplement is better or worse than through food sources. It is simply more convenient.
Re: Ask HN: Do You Take Protein Suppliments? Any Noticeable Benefits?
#13There is pretty much a hard limit on how much protein you need to intake. Often you'll hear one gram per pound of bodyweight as a rule of thumb, but in reality that is actually the ceiling. At the very most you need one gram per pound of lean body mass, not including fat (and most people are at least 15% body fat, even more for women).
Basically, the only way to know if you need a protein supplement is to track your macros. That means logging everything that you eat throughout the day. Personally, I eat lots of meat, and only need a protein shake occasionally. Before I started tracking I way over-indexed on protein. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was a waste of money (carbs and fats are both cheaper).
Additional protein won't hurt you, but it's not going to increase muscle growth. Especially not without hypertrophic exercise.
Re: Ask HN: Do You Take Protein Suppliments? Any Noticeable Benefits?
#14Whey protein is mostly a convenience supplement to hit macronutrient goals. Calculate your daily protein intake target, then consider your food options to hit that goal. Often it is hard (and boring) to hit that protein goal using only animal protein sources without exceeding your other macro (i.e carbs and fats) or calorie targets. Whey protein offers a convenient, cheap, and healthy way to ensure protein intake is sufficient without consuming too many other calories, which might cause non-lean mass gain. I wouldn’t consider any other “health benefits” to protein supplementation; if they exist, they are tangential. Also consider that whey protein causes some gastrointestinal distress in many folks.
Re: Ask HN: Do You Take Protein Suppliments? Any Noticeable Benefits?
#15There is pretty much a hard limit on how much protein you need to intake. Often you'll hear one gram per pound of bodyweight as a rule of thumb, but in reality that is actually the ceiling. At the very most you need one gram per pound of lean body mass, not including fat (and most people are at least 15% body fat, even more for women). Basically, the only way to know if you need a protein supplement is to track your…
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