Question

Linda is a half marathon runner. She read an article in a runner’s magazine promoting a new sports beverage that contains protein. She has always used a traditional carbohydrate-rich sports beverage, and has had great results. However, she wonders if this new product would work even better and help her run faster.
Would this new sports beverage containing protein work well for Linda?
        
How much protein should Linda be consuming before and during a half marathon?

Answer 1

During marathon, carbohydrates are taken. Carbohydrate such as Glucose becomes stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen.

Glycogen is important for any endurance event

Protein is crucial to the regulation and maintenance of the body and plays a role in blood clotting.

While carbohydrates are indeed the body's preferred source of fuel, protein plays an important part in the energy and muscle preservation needs of endurance athletes. Protein is mainly known for its role in the repair of muscular tissue.

Hence this energy beverage will definitely work well for Linda.

Endurance athletes like runners need 1.0 to 1.6 grams per kilogram a day (or .45 to .72 grams per pound).

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reports that although athletes only need about 1 gram of protein per kilogram to maintain muscle mass, they require 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram to build muscle mass; this is equivalent to about 0.64 to 0.82 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day.