By Wade Lightheart
- Director Of Education For BiOptimizers
- 3-Time All Natural National Bodybuilding Champion
- Advisor For The American Anti-Cancer Institute
Did you know that mindlessly consuming more protein can actually SLOW down muscle growth and development?
Did you know that if you take in too much protein, your body actually begins breaking down your muscle to provide resources to digest the protein?
Did you know there’s a way to increase muscle mass, strength, and recovery WITHOUT devouring more protein?
It’s not illegal. It’s not dangerous. And it’s not expensive.
There’s one key factor that is critical for muscle growth and protein synthesis most people are missing.
I competed as a vegetarian bodybuilder in bodybuilding shows consuming less than 85 grams of protein per day
You’ll learn more about it below.
My name is Wade Lightheart. I’m a 3-time All Natural National Bodybuilding Champion. And as far as I know, I’m the only vegetarian bodybuilder to ever compete in the IFBB Mr. Universe AND the Natural Mr. Olympia.
The most surprising thing is that I’ve competed taking in less than 85 grams of protein per day.
And since my retirement, I’ve been sitting comfortably at 200 pounds with single digit body fat.
I’ve been in the health and fitness industry for over 25 years. With lots of trial and error, I’ve cracked the code on what really works when it comes to building muscle, losing fat, and leading a life of Healthy High Performance.
In this article, I’m going to share with you the most important lesson I’ve learned — when it comes to the truth about how protein works in your body.
But I do have to warn you. What you’re about to learn below will be the complete opposite of what everyone’s been telling you.
The bodybuilding magazines… the forums online… the “expert advice” in blog posts and articles.
Often behind the scenes… the “experts” in these outlets are persuaded by companies with big six and seven figure checks.
In exchange, they stretch scientific information and research to make company claims sound valid.
This is why I’m writing this article for you today.
These 3 steps reveal what you must stop doing… and show how You can gain muscle, look great, and feel energized — Without increasing your protein intake by a single gram.
You’ll find all 3 steps below. And you’ll also discover the most important facts about the key factor for muscle growth I mentioned above.
Step 1: STOP Overloading Your Body With Protein In The Absence Of Enzymes.
Step into any gym and take a look around. What do you see?
Taking in too much protein without the presence of enzymes can actually make you LOSE muscle mass.
Shaker bottles everywhere. Filled with protein shakes.
Step into any health and wellness shop, GNC, or even your local pharmacy. What do you see?
Tubs upon tubs of protein powder. Walls lined with rows of whey protein.
We’ve been bombarded from every angle to up our protein intake.
But there’s a problem.
Nobody thinks about what happens when there’s too much protein floating around in your body.
Everybody just wants to flood their bodies with protein. And then hope that it does the hard work FOR them.
Here’s the truth: if you take in more protein than your body can break down and utilize, you can actually lose muscle mass.
How?
Two different ways.
The first way, according to Gail Butterfield, PhD, RD, director of Nutrition Studies at the Palo Alto Veterans’ Administration Medical Center and nutrition lecturer at Stanford University…
Is that when protein levels are too high, your kidneys kick into overdrive to clear it from the body. This is to flush out extra ketones that form when there’s too much protein.
As your body gets rid of these ketones, it gets rid of lots of water. And along with the water, muscle also goes.
The second way is a little different.
First — remember that in order for protein to consume to be useful, your body has to break it down to amino acids first.
To do that, your body requires ENZYMES.
The thing is, your body has a limited supply of enzymes. When that supply runs out, it eventually begins breaking down muscle to create enzymes.
This is because enzymes themselves are made of protein. And for proteins to be built, your body needs amino acids. So it breaks down muscle to provide the amino acids required for creating enzymes.
So… when you take in TOO MUCH protein… and don’t have enough enzymes — you can actually lose muscle mass, strength, and slow down your recovery.
Keep reading below, and on the next page, where you’ll learn more about enzymes.
Step 2: STOP Assuming Your Body Is Using All The Protein You Consume.
The most common misconception we have about protein is thinking that every gram consumed gets used by our bodies.
FACT: A lot of what we eat doesn’t get absorbed by our bodies. Especially protein. Japanese gastroenterologist Dr. Hiromi Shinya has found after looking at 300,000 colons… that many people have layers of undigested protein sitting in their colons.
The reality is far from that.
If it was true, doctors would NOT be finding undigested protein in our intestinal tracts.
Dr. Hiromi Shinya, a surgeon from Japan, scoped over 300,000 intestines throughout the span of his career as a gastroenterologist.
His findings revealed that many people have undigested protein in their colons. Especially from milk protein (important note: whey protein is a form of milk protein).
Why don’t our bodies use all the protein we consume?
It goes back to enzymes, as I spoke about above.
In order for protein to be utilized, it has to be broken down to amino acids. And enzymes help with this process, which is called “proteolysis”.
The reason most of the food can remain undigested is because we don’t have enough enzymes to break it down.
If you don’t have enough enzymes, food remains undigested and unused.
And worst of all, it can end up as a layer of sludge caking your intestinal tract. This layer can provide an environment for bacteria to survive and thrive.
There IS a way to digest and utilize more of the protein you’re consuming.
Most of us can’t digest our food because of the low levels of enzymes in our bodies. According to enzyme expert Dr. Howell, the average 40 year old has less than 30% of the enzyme capacity they had present at birth.
You’ll learn more about it on the next page and below.
Step 3: STOP Draining Your Body’s Supply Of Protein-Digesting Enzymes (Start Replenishing It Instead)
Most of us are slowly draining our supply of enzymes without knowing.
Enzyme expert Dr. Edward Howell, author of “Enzyme Nutrition”, has stated that the average 40 year old has less than 30% of the enzyme capacity they had present at birth.
In my opinion, this has resulted because the majority of the modern world’s diets are extremely enzyme-deficient.
Most of us cook our food to temperatures that break down enzymes naturally existing in foods.
So our bodies resort to using its own supply of enzymes.
But over time, without being replenished… the supply runs out, as I talked about above.
Without an adequate enzyme supply, your body has very little means of digesting food that’s coming into the intestinal tract.
So What Can You Do To Replenish Your Enzyme Supply?
Option 1 is to allow your body to break down muscle tissue to create resources for making enzymes.
This is less ideal. Because lean body mass and muscle tissue are important for a healthy and functioning body.
Option 2 is to supply your body with supplemental enzymes.
Because of taking supplemental enzymes, I’ve been able to compete in bodybuilding while taking in only 85 grams of protein per day. Which is a third of what most men in my weight class consume.
3 Critical Factors To Look For When Choosing An Enzyme:
Enzymes are categorized in multiple areas. There are plant-based enzymes, animal-based enzymes, systemic enzymes, and cultured enzymes.
Critical Factor #1: You want a cultured enzyme.
A cultured enzyme is somewhere between 100 and 1,000 times more powerful than an enzyme that you’ll find in food.
The reason why is because they’ve been grown and cultivated on very specific mediums that allow the manufacturers to increase the effectiveness and potency of the enzyme.
Look for a plant based enzyme. They work along the entire intestinal tract. Animal-based enzymes don’t.
Critical Factor #2: You want a plant-based enzyme.
This is because plant-based enzymes work along the entire intestinal tract.
Animal-based enzymes on the other hand only work in certain parts of the intestinal tract. Which means food remains undigested.
Critical Factor #3: You want an enzyme that is packed with protein-digesting enzymes. Also known as “proteolytic enzymes”.
When comparing the label of enzymes, make sure to look at the content of protein-digesting enzymes.
Check the label for the amount of “protease”.
There are a lot of companies out there who make enzymes. But a lot of them skimp out when it comes to the proteolytic enzyme content.
This is because proteolytic enzymes are expensive. So in order to keep costs low and profits high, they try to get by with as little as possible.
There ARE enzymes on the market that fulfill all these criteria.
You can learn more about them on the next page.
| Enzyme Formulations: | MASSZYMES | Enzymedica Digest Basic | ONNIT DigesTech | Udo’s Choice Enzyme Blend | GNC Natural Brand | Now Super Enzymes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Protease | 200,000 HUT | 84,000 HUT | 80,000 HUT | 25,000 HUT | 17,000 HUT | 6,150 HUT |
| – Protease 6.0 | 20,000 HUT | x | x | x | 2,000 HUT | x |
| – Protease 4.5 | 170,000 HUT | x | x | x | 10,000 HUT | x |
| – Protease 3.0 | 120 SAPU | x | x | x | 15 SAPU | x |
| – Peptidase | 10,000 HUT | x | x | x | x | x |
| Bromelain | 2,000,000 FCCPU | x | x | 100,000 FCCPU | 300,000 FCCPU | 1,800,000 FCCPU |
| Diastase | 650 DP | x | x | 540 DP | 125 DP | x |
| Invertase | 850 SU | 240 CU | 259 SU | 200 CU | x | x |
| Lactase | 2,000 ALU | 1,000 ALU | 900 ALU | 1,000 ALU | x | x |
| Alpha-galactosidase | 300 GalU | 250 GalU | 300 GalU | x | x | x |
| Amylase | 15,000 DU | 24,000 DU | 23,000 DU | 10,000 DU | 7,000 DU | 830 DU |
| Glucoamylase | 20 AGU | 50 AGU | 50 AGU | 9 AGU | 11 AGU | x |
| Lipase | 2,000 FIP | 1,500 FIP | 3,500 FIP | 250 FIP | 210 FIP | 3,400 FIP |
| Number of capsules per bottle: | 250 | 120 | 60 | 60 | 240 | 180 |
| Price per capsule | $0.20 to $0.28 | $0.33 | $0.55 | $0.39 | $0.17 | $0.09 |
When choosing an enzyme, one of the most important steps is to compare the amount of “protease”. Make sure to check the labels and do a comparison.
A Little Warning:
After reading this article, if you don’t care about your enzyme supply, your digestive system, or your health… then enzymes may not be for you.
However, if you’re interested in finding out more about enzymes that have been formulated to help you optimize protein in your body, then click the “Next Page” button below.
You’ll see exactly what you can use to gain muscle, strength, and recover faster from your workouts.*
Research sources:
Enzyme Nutrition, Dr. Edward Howell, Avery books, 1985
The Enzyme Factor , Dr. Hiromi Shinya, Millichap Books, 2010
Staying Alive In A Toxic World, Wade Lightheart And Katrine Volynsky, 2012
Staying Alive In A Toxic World, Wade Lightheart And Katrine Volynsky, 2000
Else ME, Vogin GD. Will Eating More Protein Help Your Body Gain Muscle Faster? Accessed http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/will-eating-more-protein-help-your-body-gain-muscle-faster?page=1