Important Criteria and Recommendations for Designing High Protein Sports Nutrition

Year 2025, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 53 - 62, 28.03.2025

Anıl Bodruk , Furkan Acar

Abstract

Nutrition is essential for the body's energy needs in both sedentary and athletes, and both macro and micronutrients are of critical importance in nutrition. Protein is a macronutrient that is often emphasized by athletes. The importance of proteins for athletes is generally explained as contributing to energy metabolism for exercise, repairing muscles destroyed during exercise, and contributing to the recovery process. For this reason, athletes with a high level of physical activity have higher daily protein needs than sedentary individuals. Changes in the body mass of individuals who do sports, the partial use of protein in the energy spent during activity, and the increase in muscle breakdown due to exercise also increase protein needs. While athletes consume more protein in their daily diets, they also meet these from different nutritional sources and protein supplements. 60% of all proteins in the body are found in skeletal muscle, and skeletal muscle requires all amino acids for protein synthesis. Therefore, the intake of proteins with sufficient and appropriate aminoacid content in the diet is important for muscle protein synthesis. When sports products are evaluated in terms of sports nutrition, it is seen that there are many sports nutrition products offered for sale in the market both in our country and worldwide. Within the scope of this review study, high protein intake in sports nutrition, animal and plant protein sources were compared in various aspects. In addition to these, macro and micronutrient elements and product design criteria were emphasized and assorted products exposed to the market as sports nutrition, both domestic and imported, were examined in Türkiye and macro and micronutrient element evaluations of the products were analyzed in terms of sports nutrition. In addition, critical elements for sports nutrition were mentioned and sample design suggestions were presented. A proposition was shared for the preparation of a formulation that would provide high protein declaration per serving for the product, contain fiber, low saturated fat and simple sugar with complex carbohydrates and also include vitamin and mineral supplements for the needs of the athlete.

Keywords

Athlete nutrition, protein, food design

Yüksek Protein İçeren Sporcu Gıdaları Tasarımındaki Önemli Kriterler ve Öneriler

Abstract

Beslenme, hem sedanter hem de sporcu bireylerde vücudun enerji ihtiyacı için elzemdir ve beslenmede hem makro hem de mikro besin öğeleri kritik önem taşımaktadır. Protein, sporcular için sıklıkla vurgu yapılan makro besin öğesidir. Proteinlerin, sporcular için önemi genellikle egzersiz için enerji metabolizmasına katkı sağlaması, egzersiz sırasında yıkılan kasların onarılması ve toparlanma sürecine katkısı olarak açıklanmaktadır. Bu sebeple, fiziksel aktivite düzeyi yüksek olan sporcuların, günlük protein ihtiyaçları, sedanter bireylere göre yüksektir. Spor yapan bireylerin vücut kütlesindeki artış yönünde değişimler, aktivite sırasında harcanan enerjide kısmen proteinin de kullanılması ve yapılan egzersize bağlı olarak kas yıkımlarının artışı da protein ihtiyacını arttırmaktadır. Sporcular, günlük beslenmelerinde daha yüksek protein alımı yaparken, bunları farklı besin kaynaklarından ve protein desteklerinden de karşılamaktadır. Vücuttaki bütün proteinlerin %60'ı iskelet kasında bulunmaktadır ve iskelet kası protein sentezi için tüm aminoasitlere ihtiyaç duymaktadır. Dolayısıyla, beslenmede yeterli ve uygun aminoasit içeriğine sahip proteinlerin alımı, kas protein sentezi için önem taşımaktadır. Sporcu beslenmesi yönünden sporcu ürünleri değerlendirildiğinde hem ülkemizde hem de Dünya ölçeğinde piyasada satışa sunulan çok sayıda sporcu gıdası olduğu görülmektedir. Bu derleme çalışması kapsamında ise sporcu beslenmesinde yüksek protein alımı ile hayvansal ve bitkisel protein kaynaklarının çeşitli yönlerden kıyaslanması yapılmıştır. Bunlara ek olarak diğer makro ve mikro besin öğeleri ile ürün tasarımlarına dair kriterler vurgulanmış ve Türkiye ölçeğinde hem yerli hem de ithal olarak sporcu gıdası adıyla piyasaya sunulan çeşitli ürünler incelenerek, ürünlere ait makro ve mikro besin öğesi değerlendirmeleri sporcu beslenmesi yönünden incelenmiştir. Ayrıca, sporcu beslenmesi için kritik öğelere değinilerek örnek tasarım önerileri sunulmuştur. Örnek ürün için porsiyon başına yüksek protein beyanı sağlayacak şekilde, kompleks karbonhidrat ile birlikte lif ve düşük doymuş yağ ile basit şeker içeren ve sporcunun ihtiyaçlarına yönelik vitamin ve mineral desteklerini de içerecek bir formülasyonun hazırlanması önerisi paylaşılmıştır.

Keywords

Sporcu beslenmesi, protein, gıda tasarımı

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