Addicted to Protein Newsbeat Documentaries

I'm training to run a marathon and it's going to be tough.

So, I need to be as fit and strong as possible.

A lot of people have told me about the need to take

protein supplements.

Not just to build up my muscle,

but to help my muscles repair as quickly as they can.

So, do I take supplements or not?

I want to be fitter, I want to be more athletic.

I want to be stronger.

It's a multibillion-dollar industry.

Anything with protein written on it will sell.

Work out, take protein,

don't eat carbohydrates, you will look like an Adonis.

That was my thinking.

# You can't get enough! #

The amount of protein supplements people have been buying

has been growing massively in the last few years.

I get what it does, it builds and repairs muscle.

But some dieticians argue that people just aren't taking it right.

-Ali?

-Hi, how you doing?

-Hi. Good to see you.

Nice to put a name to the face, how you doing?

-Thanks for having us here.

-Yeah.

-So, how's work going for you, then?

You know, the 9-5 life, I guess. Started in September.

To be honest, at the beginning, it was overwhelming

just going from university to working day in, day out, 9-5.

But plenty of banter going around.

So, you know, it's just a nice place to be, really.

So, talk to me about what made you start wanting to bulk so quickly?

I've always thought in the back of my head

that I need to put on some weight at some point.

My mum's always harking on to me, she's like,

every time I go home, "Oh, Ali, you're really thin.

"You're not eating," this, that. You know what?

I need to put on a little bit of weight now.

My friends were a big factor when it came to going to the gym.

And I'd seen that they'd had some good results.

And they were taking protein, so, for me, it was, like,

I'm going all in.

Like, I'm not just going to join the gym.

I'm not just going to start running,

I'm not just going to start doing one day of badminton a week.

I'm going all in.

You bought the biggest bag possible.

Yeah, I threw the kitchen sink at it. Literally, yeah.

The biggest bag possible.

So, how much protein are you taking every day?

I'm taking about, sort of, 50-60g or so in the morning.

Um, with breakfast. Just as a protein shake in the morning.

And then, after my workout in the evening, erm...

So, basically, two protein shakes a day, about 50-60g each.

So, about 100 or so grams. That's just in protein powder, then.

But then, also what I did was I went from eating 2-3 meals a day

to, sort of, four/sometimes even five meals a day.

So, around 120g of protein supplements a day,

costing around £60 a month.

But how does he know that's the right amount for him?

You said this is just an experiment for you. Are lots of people

you know also experimenting with protein like this?

If I'm honest,

I wouldn't say anyone really knows how much they should be taking.

It's just word-of-mouth, really.

You see how much your friend's taking,

you'll take roughly that much.

I want my mental perception of myself to be better.

People that I speak to, 100, 150g isn't massive.

It's pretty much the norm.

But I know people who are taking way more.

And I ask them, "Why are you taking so much more?" And they're like...

"No idea!"

I think definitely the protein is making a difference.

Like, it has to be, because... Well, it better be because I paid money!

Are people needlessly just buying into a trend?

Or are people actually doing themselves some harm?

We need a scientist.

What the protein is doing is when we digest and absorb it,

it's broken down into its amino acids.

Them amino acids will do two things,

will stimulate the muscle to grow, but will also provide them

actual building blocks to actually be incorporated in the muscle.

To grow new muscle tissue.

We know that as an athlete or anyone involved in training,

we'd probably need a little more protein than a regular person.

The best way, in my opinion, to do this, is by food.

But the supplements can be a convenience

if you're not able to do it.

It's a multibillion-dollar industry.

And because of that, a lot of people are being advised to take it,

not because they need it,

but because there's a fast buck to be made upon it.

And just because you've got a celebrity who may have lost

a little bit of weight or gained a bit of muscle mass,

this doesn't suddenly turn them into an expert.

They may have got rid of a cold but they're not a doctor.

So, these celebrities often try and push it for an ulterior motive.

And my concern is initially that we're taking away hard-earned money

from people and wasting the money.

We've brought Ali to Liverpool

to see if his supplement regime is working.

So, we're putting him on something called a DEXA scanner,

which counts how much of Ali's body is muscle.

Height is 184.1.

You're going to lie down again and this is one that's going to measure

your resting metabolic rate,

so we can calculate your energy expenditure.

The world of the selfie.

Now, Ali's going to go cold turkey on protein supplements

for six weeks.

Instead, Prof Close has asked him to eat a similar amount of food

but crucially, spread out throughout the day.

People think that you can take a protein supplement

and suddenly, you'll look like this competition bodybuilder,

or this Men's Health cover model.

Couldn't be further from the truth.

To get that increase in muscle mass involves really hard training,

consistent training.

A really good diet and a consistent diet,

and thinking that you're going to do it from a supplement,

you're just kidding yourself.

Meanwhile, across the other side of Liverpool,

we're in a BodyPump class to chat with some women

about how popular protein supplements are with them.

It seems to be really common now, more and more people,

more and more women taking protein supplements.

-Have you guys noticed that?

-Yeah, it's everywhere.

Everywhere that you look!

Even if you walk around the gym, you can see the vending machine

downstairs that has ready-made protein shakes for you to take.

Yeah, people take them all the time.

There's loads of, like, everyday products

that they're putting added protein into now.

Like, protein Weetabix and protein pasta.

I just think it's a trendy thing to try and push extra protein

into every item of your diet.

Oh, yeah, definitely, it's everywhere.

I mean, even on the ads, it's all about protein.

I think it's a bit ridiculous because

I don't think you should have added supplements in your diet,

but I think if you do go to the gym a lot, you will need it.

But I don't think you should have it as, like,

a supplement for something else.

-Use it as a supplement, not a replacement?

-Yeah, exactly.

I think a lot of the times, it's a case of all the gear and no idea!

They just...

They buy these shakes, they drink them and have no idea why,

but they think it's a great idea.

Yeah, they think they're just going to end up

-the place where they want to be.

-I will...!

Yeah, take loads of protein.

Ellie's taking us training near Liverpool's waterfront.

My average week, like, I might do some boxing,

I might do some BodyPump. Maybe spin, maybe go for a run in the sun.

And then I'll always make sure I have one rest day,

so that I can repair.

I think people are just getting on the protein trend.

And then it will be something else next week or something.

So, you think it's almost like a fashion?

Yeah, I think it is a fashion, definitely.

Because everything's got protein in it now.

Like, protein cookies, protein pancakes.

Everything that's seen as bad it's got protein in it,

so it's seen as better because it's got protein in it.

I don't know why, but...

What type of stuff have you seen on Instagram, of celebrities, you know,

pushing protein, what have you seen?

Well, I've just seen loads of celebrities posting pictures

of weird protein shakes and being like,

"Oh, this is my new protein that I use."

And then post the link to it and then a discount or something,

so it makes you want to get it more, because it's a discount.

I think that women do feel the pressure more because people,

like, post things with unrealistic expectations.

So, girls who are quite vulnerable see them and then kind of assume,

"Oh, I need to be like that."

I've got a good head and I'm not trapped in a false reality,

so I know what's real and what's not.

Just cos a celebrity is saying do something

doesn't mean you should do it.

So, I kind of just...do my own thing.

Protein is now the fastest growing food supplement in the UK

and though we get it delivered in shiny bottles to our doors,

it's warehouses like this up and down the country

that's where it's coming from.

Trevor runs one of the UK's largest protein companies.

I can remember being in college.

And always looking round

every single sports nutrition website to get my protein

I used to take myself for the cheapest possible prices.

Erm, when I did that, the lads in the rugby team got onto it, too.

So, they'd be asking me to get them their protein.

Then the PE teachers in school would ask me to get them.

When I went to university,

rugby teams from both the redbrick university and John Moores

asking me to get their protein too, and it just grew and grew.

I'd like to say we're the biggest retailer

in the north-west of England.

And possibly one of the biggest in the UK.

Are you one of the country's protein kings, then?

-I...

-HE LAUGHS

I'd never refer to myself as that, though.

But we do sell quite a few tubs or two, yeah.

What are the main problems you see,

mistakes do you see out of how people take protein?

We always recommend protein and everything I sell,

they're supplements to a diet, they're not an existing diet.

Protein is there to supplement your diet, not be a base of a diet.

It's when you use it as a base of a diet with no other foods,

vitamins, minerals, greens for example,

that's when you can encounter problems.

But do you feel bad selling it to them,

when you know so many of them are taking it incorrectly?

We can...

We can advise the best way we can.

I actually believe this industry should be regulated a lot more.

I believe people should have qualifications.

There's no point taking sports nutrition or protein supplements

if your diet isn't on point first.

-If you think of it like a pyramid.

-Yeah.

Diet, training, then your supplements and sports nutrition.

Whereas some people have that the wrong way round, unfortunately.

As I mentioned, I'm running the London Marathon.

Some of the advice is to build up the amount of miles you do

and never do the full 26 until race day.

And also to take one of these,

a protein shake to help your muscles recover

as soon as you finish training.

Right now, I'm up to 16 or 17 miles

compared to the two or three that I started out with.

But how much of this is too much?

And can it be dangerous?

Have you heard about anyone who's had any really bad side-effects

or health problems through taking too much protein?

Too much? Personally, no.

But when I used to do my studies with nutrition,

it can be possible to have an effect on the kidneys.

But it's very rare that you hear about it.

I also think it's down to the person and how they metabolise the protein.

So, I mean, everyone is made up differently.

You know, you might be able to digest it a lot better than I can.

But I think you have to listen to your body while you're taking it.

If you respond well, then carry on.

If you don't, then you know you will get side...

If you know something is wrong, you're going to go to

the doctor, aren't you? And they're going to test.

But personally, I have never known it to happen.

Would you say that the people in this gym,

most of them take some form of protein?

Yeah, I would say about 95%.

You do get the odd one who's a bit sceptical about it.

But, you know, they soon...

Once they see other people taking it, they take it as well.

-Do you take protein?

-I do, yes.

I definitely recommend if you weight train,

your body is in demand for more protein to help recovery.

How much of the gym's kind of business model is based on

shifting supplements as well?

-Is it a big bit?

-I would say so.

-About 60% of it.

-Wow.

Yeah, I'd say so.

It works hand in hand, it's like...

You know, gym, protein, it goes together!

It does, yeah. It's a big industry.

Anything with "protein" written on it will sell.

Although it's pretty difficult to cause major health problems

by taking too much synthetic protein,

we've come to the gym to meet one man who took it to the extreme.

-Joe.

-Hello, mate.

-Hi, mate.

-Yeah, good to see you.

Good to see you, you all right?

-A couple of years ago, you wanted to get big.

-Yes, so, I mean,

the thing was that I'd always been, I suppose, fairly lean.

And I wanted to put on a lot of muscle.

You see these guys in the gym with huge muscles,

and you read the fitness magazines and it says, OK,

the thing I need to do is take loads of protein supplements.

So, that's what I started doing, I basically upped my protein

in my daily diet to probably about 250g a day.

Now, I think it you're recommended to take about 45-50g a day

for an adult male.

I thought that would translate into muscle.

And the main thing is, because this is what it tells you,

I suppose, in fitness magazines and stuff like that.

Protein, protein, protein.

Then one day last year,

I woke up in the morning and couldn't stand up straight.

I just had this crippling pain in my side.

Literally bent double all day

and the pain was just increasing all day.

Got the train home, went straight into the emergency room,

spent a few hours there in and out with doctors.

They scanned me and told me that I had kidney stones.

So, I was 28 at the time, and that's not usual.

Your body can only process so much of one thing.

But when you put too much into it, your body needs to get rid of it

or in my case, is unable to get rid of it.

At the time, you were taking up to 200g of protein supplements a day.

Were you addicted to protein?

I'm not sure I was addicted to the substance of powdered protein.

Definitely addicted to the idea.

I zealously thought,

I absolutely religiously thought that work out, take protein,

don't eat carbohydrates, you will look like an Adonis.

That was my thinking and I ignored everything

everyone else was saying to me.

My mum, my mates, people down the gym, I just thought,

"You don't know what you're talking about."

Given everything that's happened,

why have you still got a protein shake in your hand?

It's part of the culture.

Like, going to the gym and training and working out,

thinking, "Yeah, I'm going to put on muscle,

"yeah, I'm going to cut down," depending on the time of year it is.

It's part of my life.

What amazed me about meeting Joe

is that despite all the hospital problems, the kidney stones,

the sickness, he's still taking protein.

He literally can't get away from the supplements.

I actually don't think many people would harm themselves

by taking too much protein.

We have actually got quite a wide margin for error.

I actually think the amount you would need to cause kidney problems

is probably far in excess of what even most gym-goers will be taking.

But what about if your job means you really do need to be big?

Say, a professional bodybuilder, for example.

-Scott?

-Yes, mate, how you doing?

-Hi, mate, Rick.

-Good to meet you.

-You too, mate.

This is my off-season or bulking,

depending if you're competing or not.

So, yeah, basically,

it's just the time I try and put as much size on as possible.

Right, so talk me through how you're building up your size.

Talk me through the numbers of protein a day.

So, the main thing is, like you said, my food intake.

So, at the moment, I'm probably on about 5-6,000 calories a day.

Hitting...5-600g of carbs a day.

About 250-300g of protein.

It's quite a lot of food you've got to get in to put the size on.

-So, 300g of protein.

-Yes.

How much of that's coming from supplements?

Erm, I'd say the majority of it is through food but like I said,

with the amount of food I've got to get in,

it's not really possible to get that,

even without using supplements.

So, I do use quite a lot of protein powders and mass gainers

and stuff like that.

Hmm, I'd say about 150g, maybe a bit more. Depending if...

Because if I can fit it in, I'll have an extra shake on top of

what I've already planned and stuff like that.

I think about 150g through supplements.

So, that's quite a lot of protein.

Do you feel as if you need to take that to be able to do your job?

Erm, yeah.

I think, especially, like you say, I'm at the extreme end

with the bodybuilding side, so I really need...

For the weight I'm putting on, I need that extra protein.

Alongside the personal training as well,

I don't always get the chance to sit down and have a meal.

So, it's a lot easier for me to go back there, or if I'm at home,

just make a shake.

Get that down me and carry on with my day.

So, what is your daily protein regime, then?

Erm, I can show you, if you like.

Flipping heck, mate. Do you sell it out your boot?

-Who does all this for you?

-Erm, my girlfriend, to be honest.

She does pretty much all my food prep and my protein shakes.

Unless I'm not with her, but yes, she does pretty much everything!

Katie, talk me through your daily routine with Scott's protein.

Erm, normally in the morning when I get up,

I'll do my shake before I go.

Obviously, he has the first one with his porridge and stuff,

and his oats. So, that would have already been weighed out for him.

And depending on what time he's got a client,

I'll probably do a shake before I leave for work.

Which will be his first mass gainer, to have with his first meal.

How much of your time do you spend

-making protein shakes and drinks and meals?

-Erm...

About, I don't know...

Normally, I get home from work, or we'll go to the gym,

I'll train and do the last shake after he trains, come home.

And then I'll do meal prep for the following day.

Why doesn't Scott make his own protein shakes?

-SHE LAUGHS

-Cos he's lazy.

No, I'm joking! I like to do it.

I support him in his goal and his long-term goal is that

he wants to get on stage, he wants to look good

and he wants to compete and he wants to win.

He doesn't want to come second place.

So, by getting the meals in, by getting the protein in,

I help him get to where he wants to be.

And that's me supporting him in what he does,

so that's why he doesn't make them himself.

And because he is lazy as well!

-Am I allowed to smile?

-You can do whatever you want.

Oh, OK, I'll smile, then! Oh, that's fine then.

I thought I wasn't allowed to smile. That's why.

So, I think we've seen that shakes, bars and supplements can work.

It's just you've got to use them alongside the right food as well.

And somewhere that's renowned for its food-first approach

and absolutely nailing it are these guys, here at England Rugby.

You guys are massive! You must take loads of supplements, don't you?

-No, not quite. Always food first.

-Yeah?

So, yeah, after training, we sort of have a policy at England

that always food before the protein shakes.

So, we try and stay away from the supplements

and we get the naturals in first.

But I've just been eating with you guys, you've got a chef.

How can the average person actually get that type of protein into them?

Sure, so I think the main thing to focus on is just being prepared.

We have to cook for ourselves in the evening, so as a house,

we sort of try and get prepared for what we're going to cook.

So, we all go to the supermarket, we choose what we want to eat.

We try and get a lot of colours in our food.

So, a post-it on the wall in the lunch hall will say,

have sort of rainbows.

We're looking at peppers, like, spinach,

just getting lots of different colours in our meals.

We focus on the food-first approach,

but then we do have certain basic supplementation that we'd use.

But that would be secondary in nature

and it's on a convenience measure over the food itself.

So, if timing for us is...

-Say we're on the road, we're a travelling team!

-Yeah.

And we're in Hong Kong and it's not quite the foods that we need,

or that we're used to, we will look to supplement

at appropriate times, post-exercise,

to get the recovery and the replenishments

that we need in our guys.

It's interesting, isn't it?

How the supplement branding tends to drag people into it.

And the food kind of gets left on the wayside.

Yeah, it does and I think it's false in nature.

The best thing people can do is plan their foods, plan their meals.

but that's arduous, if you're not used to it.

And with today's world and the way we work and everything,

looking for time efficiency in what they do,

it's often the thing that gets looked away from.

After six weeks off the protein supplements,

it was time to head back to Liverpool to get Ali's results.

Would he have lost muscle mass from not taking any supplements

and still working out, but spreading his meals throughout the day?

We've got the results.

And what we've seen is in this six-week period,

you've actually increased your lean muscle mass by a kilo.

I was thinking, "You know what?"

My weight's going to be the same, it's probably gone down.

I go there and I'd put on an extra kilogram,

so I was genuinely speechless.

One of the key things you wanted to do is get more muscle.

And just by switching,

taking away the protein shakes and getting you to eat protein

in a much better manner,

to eating it regularly throughout the day,

using a food-first approach,

you've got that result that you're looking for.

I didn't expect I'd get results like this just eating food

and trying to arrange all the meals myself.

One of the reasons that people go on a high-protein diet

is to increase their metabolic rate.

So, actually, they'll be burning more calories at rest.

So, we wanted to make sure that switching you away from

protein shakes to food didn't reduce that metabolic rate.

And it didn't, it actually increased it by 100 kilocals per day.

So, actually, in any typical day,

you're going to be burning more energy and long-term,

that should help to drive them changes in body composition

that you're looking for.

I think as a food champion,

so, somebody who promotes food first, I am quietly happy,

that we've shown you can get them gains in muscle

that young people are looking for without having to rely on

what can be quite expensive supplements.

So, Ali's actually gained a kilogram of muscle

by coming off the supplements and working a better diet.

And now, you know, three weeks after the result,

-are you back on the supplements?

-Yes.

But why?!

Erm, there's a few reasons, really.

So, number one, it's a lot easier to cook a few meals a day

and then have protein in between, than cook five meals a day.

I just don't have the time for it with a full-time job.

And secondly, obviously, there's no really proven health risks

with using it, especially in moderate amounts.

If you're using it right, like Graeme taught me at John Moores.

For most people,

taking protein supplements like this isn't going to do them any harm.

But it's clear many are taking it as a substitute

and not a supplement to food.

And if you're taking too much

or you're not taking it at the right time,

you're probably just wasting your money.