Moderate physical activity can increase dietary protein needs.
Six healthy men completed three 1-hr bouts of treadmill walk-jogging at low (L; 42 +/- 3.9% VO2max), moderate (M; 55 +/- 5.6%), and high (H; 67 +/- 4.5%) exercise intensity in order to determine whether moderate physical activity affects dietary protein needs. Both sweat rate and sweat urea N loss were greater (p < .10) with increasing exercise intensity. Seventy-two hour postexercise urine urea N excretion was elevated (p < .05) over nonexercise control (26.6 +/- 2.96 g) with both M (31.0 +/- 3.65) and H (33.6 +/- 4.39), but not L (26.3 +/- 1.86), intensities. Total 72-hr postexercise urea N excretion (urine + sweat) for the M and H exercise was greater than control by 4.6 and 7.2 g, respectively. This suggests that 1 hr of moderate exercise increases protein oxidation by about 29-45 g, representing approximately 16-25% of the current North American recommendations for daily protein intake. These data indicate that the type of exercise typically recommended for health/wellness can increase daily protein needs relative either to sedentary individuals or to those who exercise at lower intensities.
Lemon
P W
PW
Applied Physiology Research Laboratory, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
Dolny
D G
DG
Yarasheski
K E
KE
D000328:Adult; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D013546:Sweating / Q000502:physiology; D014508:Urea / Q000652:urine; D014556:Urine
D004044:Dietary Proteins; D014508:Urea