Protein and Overtraining: Potential Applications for
Protein and Overtraining: Potential Applications for
Free-Living Athletes
Received November 11, 2005/Accepted April 19, 2006
Lonnie Lowery1 and Cassandra E Forsythe2
Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
University of Akron, Akron, OH1; University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT2. Address correspondence to
LL22@uakron.edu
ABSTRACT
Despite a more than adequate protein intake in the general population, athletes have special needs and situations
that bring it to the forefront. Overtraining is one example. Hard-training athletes are different from sedentary
persons from the sub-cellular to whole-organism level. Moreover, competitive, Ïfree-livingÓ (less-monitored)
athletes often encounter negative energy balance, sub-optimal dietary variety, injuries, endocrine exacerbations
and immune depression. These factors, coupled with Ïtwo-a-dayÓ practices and in-season demands require that
protein not be dismissed as automatically adequate or worse, deleterious to health. When applying research to
practice settings, one should consider methodological aspects such as population specificity and control
variables such as energy balance. This review will address data pertinent to the topic of athletic protein needs,
particularly from a standpoint of overtraining and soft tissue recovery. Research-driven strategies for adjusting
nutrition and exercise assessments will be offered for consideration. Potentially helpful nutrition interventions
for preventing and treating training complications will also be presented. Journal of the International Society
of Sports Nutrition. 3(1):42-50, 2006
Key words: Dietary protein, amino acids, overtraining
Complete article may be viewed online.
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