Question: My 16-year-old grandson goes to the gym five days a week and believes he needs to have large quantities of protein powder to build muscle and support his growth, which is costly. My reading suggests research into the efficacy of protein powder for teens is missing, so it may be a waste of money. Do you agree?
Answer: Protein-supplement use among adolescents often indicates deeper body-image issues. A recent US study worryingly found that teens who use protein supplements for muscle building are more likely to adopt dangerous muscle-building behaviours, and were 2-5 times more likely to use steroids in the future. So, your concerns about your teenage grandson’s use of protein supplements are warranted from a financial perspective as well as for his overall wellbeing.
Indeed, a study published in 2021 in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living found concerns about muscularity often framed protein-supplement use among teenage boys.
Moreover, adolescent boys’ – but not girls’ – use of protein supplements was associated with risk factors for developing eating disorders. Eating disorders present differently in boys and at a younger age. So, if they are cutting out food groups, overexercising and fixating on muscularity and body image, parents and doctors should keep a close eye on these behaviours to ensure they don’t spiral into an eating disorder.
Caution is also warranted given the links between protein-supplement use for muscularity in teenage boys and later steroid use. A 2020 study published in BMC Pediatrics found 4.2% of Australian boys aged 14-16 were already using anabolic steroids to increase muscularity. Anabolic steroids can cause significant side effects and severe and even irreversible damage to body organs in the long term, so it’s worrying that teens are using these medications for body-image concerns.
Adult use of protein supplements for building muscle mass is backed by sound scientific research. However, experts recommend athletes meet protein needs with food in preference to supplements. But little research has been done on the safety and efficacy of the supplements for teens. The recommended daily protein intake for a teenage male is 0.99g of protein per kilo of body weight, which equates to about 65g/day; for adolescent girls, it is 0.77g/kg or about 45g/day. However, when an individual exercises regularly, their protein needs increase to support the maintenance and growth of muscle as their body adapts to the training.
Sports Dietitians Australia recommends athletes aged 12-18 eat about 1.3-1.8g of protein per kilo of body weight daily. However, more is not always better; exceeding these protein recommendations can cause health problems. For example, long-term consumption of a high-protein diet has been linked to loss of bone mass and kidney dysfunction among other things.
Athletes should spread their protein target by including a small serving of protein-rich foods at 3-5 eating occasions a day, as the most significant effect on muscle synthesis is the amount of protein eaten over 24 hours. For example, include protein in three main meals, a post-training snack and a pre-bed or mid-afternoon snack. Including a protein-containing snack or drink before or particularly after a workout optimises performance and the body’s recovery after training.
Ideally, athletes should meet their required protein needs with food rather than supplements, as food will provide a range of other valuable nutrients and energy. And given all animal- and plant-derived foods contain protein, it should not be hard.
Focus first on including foods rich in protein, such as meat, fish and poultry, along with legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds. And add milk, cheese, yoghurt, other dairy products, wholegrains, vegetables and fruit, which contain smaller protein contributions. For example, a 100g beef steak and a glass of milk provide 50% of the higher protein requirements for an active teenage boy.
Add another couple of serves of dairy, some nuts and eggs to their day, and they can quickly meet their protein targets without expensive protein supplements (which should ideally only be used as an occasional top-up). l
