38 | NewScientist | 20 April 2019T
HE bars and shakes were just the start.
These days, there are high-protein
cereals and high-protein yogurts,
protein-fortified bread and cheese, protein-
dense noodles and even ice creams loaded with
the muscle-building macronutrient. What next,
protein water? Well, yes actually. What will it
be: still, sparkling or diet whey protein water?
Stroll through your local supermarket today
and you can hardly fail to notice the P word.
Usually accompanied with “high” or “extra”,
it seems to be emblazoned on the packaging
of almost every foodstuff possible. Many of us
have come to see protein as a sort of elixir of
health. Not only does it apparently help you
build muscle, it will guarantee weight loss by
keeping you fuller for longer. Hence the desire
for all those high-protein products. But is
there actually any evidence to suggest that
these foods and drinks are beneficial?
Our bodies certainly demand protein.
Together with fat and carbohydrate, it makes
up the trio of basic macronutrients that
humans need. Proteins are assembled from
a repertoire of 20 amino acids, the basic
building blocks of bone, muscle, skin and
blood. It is especially important that we get
enough of the eight so-called essential amino
acids because, unlike the others, our bodies
cannot make them.
So the protein we get from our food is vital.
We have known that for a long time. In recent
years, however, many of us have become
convinced we need more of the stuff.
Even if you haven’t come across WeetabixProtein Crunch, say, or the Mars Hi Protein
bar, the stats are instructive. The number of
food and drink products launched with a high-
protein claim in the UK rose by a whopping
498 per cent between 2010 and 2015, according
to market research firm Mintel. More recently,
in the three years to 2017, the proportion of
new food and drink products launched with a
high-protein claim jumped from 1.8 per cent
to 4.3 per cent, and in the first three months
of 2018 some 35 per cent of adults said they
bought a non-sporting product branded as
high in protein.
All of which is a bit strange, because pretty
much all of us are getting enough protein
already. Daily average consumption of protein
in the UK is 87 grams for men and 67 grams for
women aged between 19 and 64. This is about
50 per cent more than they require, according
to official guidelines (see “Protein: are you
getting enough?”, page 41). Based on the
same guidelines, the majority of those who
regularly run, swim or cycle are also getting
enough protein. Only people routinely
engaging in endurance, speed or strength
sports may need more in their diet.
“Virtually no one in the UK is eating too
little protein,” says Tom Sanders at King’s
College London. “It might be the case for a bed-
ridden older person who is not eating enough
food full stop, but in free-living individuals,
protein deficiency is almost unknown.”
Why, then, are so many people so hungry
for an extra protein hit? Makers of protein
supplements and shakes use words likeProtein mania
Foods and drinks fortified with protein are the latest
consumer health fad. Is there any evidence that we
benefit from eating more of it, asks Nic Fleming
> ANDY
MART
IN