What Do Protein Supplements Do To Young Weight Lifters?

Young weightlifters who want to emulate athletic heroes try to improve their own weightlifting skills and athletic motivation. Yet in the realm of protein supplementation, youngsters would do well to learn as much as possible about sensible nutrition. Young weightlifters should avoid relying on protein supplementation for muscle and strength gains, as excessive dietary protein might carry unwanted side effects, and protein supplementation can be unnecessary and expensive.

High School and College Weightlifters

Teenage weightlifters immerse themselves in a demanding sport that emphasizes power and body weight. Already dealing with growth spurts and body changes, these teens may obsess about muscle gain. However, it is exercise, not high protein foods, that builds muscle -- although dietary protein provides the amino acids from which new muscle can be built. As Space Research describes it, weightlifting causes muscles to become bigger and stronger through chemical-based adaptations and protein synthesis, which adds muscle fibers to existing muscle.

Recommended Daily Allowances for Protein

Adolescents should obtain 13 percent to 14 percent of their entire calorie intake from protein. If an adolescent weightlifter's diet contains 3,000 calories, 14 percent of the total calories would be 428 cal. If you prefer to think of it in grams, divide 428 by 4, since 1 g of protein has 4 cal. Thus, approximately 100 g protein would be required. A diet containing protein-rich foods such as eggs, lean meats, beans, nuts and low fat cheese and milk easily fulfills the young weightlifter's requirements.

Liver, Bone and Excess Protein

The National Kidney Association cites studies showing accelerated kidney damage in diabetics on high protein diets. However, Body Building For You suggests that athletes regularly exceed protein requirements with no adverse effects, and that no study ever scientifically proved that high protein diets are dangerous to healthy individuals. In 1998, "Journal of Nutrition" reported excessive protein metabolism encouraging calcium loss through excretion, yet in 2003 the same journal suggested that calcium is not always lost, possibly because phosphorous helps to enable calcium re-uptake by the kidneys -- at least in people with no prior health problems.

Protein is Expensive

Thus, protein supplements may not harm the young weightlifter, even if those supplements contribute to protein intake beyond recommended levels. Still, two concerns remain: one is financial loss at the expense of weight gain. Expensive protein supplements are unnecessary if the young weightlifter includes protein-rich foods in every meal. There is no need to purchase protein supplements when sometimes it is simply calories that a young lifter needs more. Heart-healthy nuts, nut-butters and oils provide far more economical calories.

Unknown Substances

Another danger is hidden ingredients. Some of the most respected Olympian weightlifters have tested positive for banned drugs or steroids hidden in nutritional supplements that they believed to be protein or energy supplements. Disqualification is just one problem; drugs and steroids are dangerous when repeatedly ingested -- unknowingly or knowingly. Some cause physical and sexual characteristics to alter, and some hasten cancer. In short, young weightlifters aspiring to world-class competition must exercise the utmost responsibility regarding nutrition. It is never too early to start such discipline.