A review led by a sports scientist at the University of Stirling has introduced new international guidelines for protein intake in track and field athletes, which will also suit customers who are endurance athletes (runners, bikers, etc.). The findings of the research have informed the development of part of the updated International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) consensus statement on Sports Nutrition for Track and Field Athletes.

The protein portion of the new statement was led by Dr. Oliver Witard, of the Physiology, Exercise and Nutrition Research Group at Stirling’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport.

Explaining the findings, Witard said, “Track and field athletes engage in vigorous training that place stress on physiological systems requiring nutritional support for optimal recovery. In this paper, we highlight the benefits of dietary protein intake for training adaptation, manipulating body composition and optimizing performance in track and field athletes.

He added the group recommends that, “to facilitate the remodeling of our muscle proteins—which are turning over rapidly due to their high training volumes—track and field athletes should aim for protein intakes of around 1.6 grams per kilogram of body mass each day if their goal is to increase muscle mass.”

The paper also offers guidance to those track and field athletes aiming to optimize their ratio of strength, power or endurance to body weight for a performance advantage.

“Track and field athletes who are restricting energy intake—and have the goal of minimizing the loss of lean body mass—should target protein intakes of between 1.6 and 2.4 grams per kilogram of body mass a day,” Witard stated.

The previous IAAF consensus statement was published in 2007 and, in the time since, evidence underpinning nutrition strategies for adaptation and physique manipulation in athletes has evolved considerably. Witard commented, “High-performance athletes now have access to an up-to-date consensus statement that informs best practice protein nutrition for optimizing body composition.”

The authors noted in the abstract that evidence-based supplements include caffeine, bicarbonate, beta-alanine, nitrate and creatine.

Burke, LM, et al. “International Association of Athletics Federations Consensus Statement 2019: Nutrition for Athletics” Int J Sport Nutri Exerc Metab, 2019 29(2), 73-84

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