Protein vital to keeping muscles strong

delawareonline ¦ The News Journal ¦ Protein vital to keeping muscles strong: "...Novice athletes who are just starting a strength-training regimen may want to increase that to about 0.7 to 0.8 grams of protein per pound, as their muscles will break down more than experienced athletes. After six months to one year of weight training, that can be decreased to 0.6 to 0.7 grams. Endurance athletes need 0.5 to 0.6 grams per pound.
it's's kind of a hype but not really,' Volpe said. 'There are different needs for people who are endurance athletes and those who are weight-training athletes compared to the average sedentary population.'...

...Jeffrey A. Schneider, an instructor in the department of health, nutrition and exercise sciences at the University of Delaware, said anything above 0.9 or 1.0 grams per pound isn't utilized.

"It'll get excreted in your urine and some of it will get stored as fat," he said.

Still, additional protein may be necessary in certain cases.

Elite high school, Division I college and professional athletes may require more than the typical amount of daily protein to gain or maintain weight...

...Schneider said protein supplements can be a convenient way to prevent muscle breakdown for active athletes."

A little note: Excess protein will be stored as fat only if the total calorie intake is above what is needed to maintain body weight or with other words only if the calorie balance is positive.