| Inevitably there's a myth that soy protein is horrible for | | | | LBM (pound of lean body mass) John wants to get 1 g |
| bodybuilding and that if you are any where near | | | | of protein. |
| serious about working out or building muscle you will | | | | John should be consuming 160 g of protein a day. |
| stay away from it. In fact, some sites show 'studies' | | | | Here's where the myth and some problems come into |
| that soy protein and soy products can be detrimental | | | | play! Read carefully. |
| to your health. And while it's true that early claims of | | | | If you get a vast amount of your protein from less BV |
| soy wonders might not be entirely true, there's also | | | | sources then optimal (beans, soy) you will not prime |
| myth that soy protein is bad. | | | | your muscles for optimal anabolic growth. John |
| First off, there's a concept called the Biological Value | | | | shouldn't be getting 150+ grams of soy protein a day IF |
| Scale that was developed to measure the quality of | | | | he wants to create the most muscle mass and he has |
| specific proteins. It basically rates how efficiently your | | | | no personal reasons not to use better quality sources. |
| body will use a given protein source. The higher the | | | | John also won't be in jeopardy of losing muscle or |
| BV (biological value), the more amino acids and | | | | wasting his efforts if he ingests small quantities of soy |
| nitrogen your body is retaining from the foods you eat. | | | | proteins because he likes them. Having soy in his |
| In sum, it becomes a way to measure the potential for | | | | cereal is not going to make a difference. |
| quality muscle growth and strength. | | | | The myth that soy will cause men to produce |
| There was a time when egg whites were at the top | | | | estrogen is when VAST quantities are ingested. Far |
| of the BV with a score of around 100. Since then, | | | | beyond what any rational person would want to do on |
| whey proteins have toped out the scales around | | | | a prolonged basis. |
| 106-159 BV. This means that whey protein is better | | | | A bodybuilder that has soy will not feel any |
| used for quality muscle growth. | | | | differences, be any less anabolic then another person |
| But first a warning! | | | | who does not consume soy at all. |
| This doesn't mean that all you would utilize is whey | | | | Fact: A long-term metabolic balance study in young |
| protein for all your needs. Many times bodybuilders will | | | | men to assess the nutritional quality of an isolated soy |
| use a variety of proteins depending on the BV and the | | | | protein and beef proteins (VR Young, A Wayler, C |
| times of day and if they just finished a workout. | | | | Garza, FH Steinke, E Murray, WM Rand, and NS |
| Let me explain... Your protein needs in the morning are | | | | Scrimshaw) was published in 1984 by the American |
| different then the middle of the day and are different | | | | Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, Jan |
| again AFTER a workout and again different before | | | | 1984; 39: 8 - 15. |
| bed. | | | | After 84 days of two groups, one totally isolated soy |
| All this means is that no one protein is the best for any | | | | protein and the other on beef proteins, found a |
| given time. But before I get lost... let me show you the | | | | conclusion that: |
| biological value scale in a simple form. | | | | "Body cell mass measurements did not reveal any |
| Type of Protein :: Biological Value Rating | | | | deterioration in protein nutritional status. These |
| Whey: 106-159 Egg: 100 Cow's Milk: 91 Fish: 83 Casein: | | | | observations confirm the prediction, derived from |
| 80 Beef: 80 Chicken: 79 Soy: 74 Wheat Gluten: 54 | | | | previous short-term nitrogen balance studies, that the |
| Kidney Beans: 49 | | | | nutritional quality of isolated soy protein is high and that |
| For all these reasons, you can and should see that soy | | | | this plant protein can serve as the sole source of |
| protein is listed lower. That just means it's not the most | | | | essential amino acids and nitrogen for protein |
| anabolic of proteins for optimal muscle growth. | | | | maintenance in adults." |
| But don't get me wrong... | | | | So let me summarize and review... |
| This doesn't mean you shouldn't eat soy protein if you | | | | Soy is not the most biological available source for |
| enjoy it. It simply means that barring any religious | | | | optimal anabolic muscle growth. If you were to finish a |
| beliefs or personal preferences, soy would not be the | | | | workout, you would want to ingest some high quality |
| ideal protein source for enhanced muscle gains. This | | | | whey protein vs. soy proteins. However, simply having |
| doesn't mean you cannot have it or that it's bad for | | | | soy doesn't mean it's bad for bodybuilding unless you |
| you. | | | | are getting a majority of your protein from soy |
| In fact, let's continue on with a little example. | | | | products. Then it's not optimal. You'd also need to |
| John Q. Public 13% body fat 184 lbs 160 lbs of LBM | | | | ingest quite a bit on a daily basis for any negative |
| (lean body mass) | | | | effects of soy to manifest (specifically aimed at males |
| For simplification we'll just say that for every LB of | | | | in this sentence). |