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Review
. 2019 Apr 12;11(4):829.
doi: 10.3390/nu11040829.

Protein Supplements and Their Relation with Nutrition, Microbiota Composition and Health: Is More Protein Always Better for Sportspeople?

Anna Kårlund  1 , Carlos Gómez-Gallego  2 , Anu M Turpeinen  3 , Outi-Maaria Palo-Oja  4 , Hani El-Nezami  5   6 , Marjukka Kolehmainen  7
Affiliations
Review

Protein Supplements and Their Relation with Nutrition, Microbiota Composition and Health: Is More Protein Always Better for Sportspeople?

Anna Kårlund et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Sports nutrition products are developed and targeted mainly for athletes to improve their nutrient intake, performance, and muscle growth. The fastest growing consumer groups for these products are recreational sportspeople and lifestyle users. Although athletes may have elevated physiological protein requirements and they may benefit from dietary supplements, the evidence regarding the role of dietary protein and supplements in the nutrition of recreational sportspeople and sedentary populations is somewhat complex and contradictory. In high-protein diets, more undigested protein-derived constituents end up in the large intestine compared to moderate or low-protein diets, and hence, more bacterial amino acid metabolism takes place in the colon, having both positive and negative systemic and metabolic effects on the host. The aim of the present review is to summarize the impact of the high-protein products and diets on nutrition and health, in sportspeople and in sedentary consumers. We are opening the debate about the current protein intake recommendations, with an emphasis on evidence-based effects on intestinal microbiota and personalized guidelines regarding protein and amino acid supplementation in sportspeople and lifestyle consumers.

Keywords: amino acid; dietary supplements market; gut microbiota; high-protein diets; protein fermentation; protein metabolism; sports nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

A.K., C.G.-G., O.-M.P., H.E.-N. and M.K. have no conflict of interest to declare. At the time of writing, A.M.T. was employed by Valio Ltd. Valio Ltd manufactures and markets protein supplements, protein drinks and protein snacks. Valio Ltd has no role in the design and content of the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Value of the dietary supplements market per capita in Europe in 2015 (€).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Physiological and microbial protein digestion, amino acid production and synthesis along the gastrointestinal tract.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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