A critical examination of dietary protein requirements, benefits, and excesses in athletes.

There is likely no other dietary component that inspires as much debate, insofar as athletes are concerned, as protein. How much dietary protein is required, optimal, or excessive? Dietary guidelines from a variety of sources have settled on an adequate dietary protein intake for those over the age of 19 of ~0.8-0.9 g protein.kg body weight(-1).d(-1). According to U.S. and Canadian dietary reference intakes (33), the recommended allowance for …