Vegetarian Protein Diet for Female Body Builders, Research Paper Example

Lay Summary

 Amino acids are the essential building blocks of proteins and are required by the body to ensure proper functionality. It is essential for all people to consume regular amounts of protein to maintain their physical health, but it is especially important for body builders to consume high levels of protein to ensure that they are able to maintain and increase muscle mass. There is currently much debate as to whether vegetarian diets are sufficient in protein for female body builders. This study postulates that the source of the protein is irrelevant as long as the amount of protein obtained is consistent. Furthermore, this research intends to show that female body builders that follow vegetarian diets will be healthier overall because of the enhanced nutrition that this diet offers. The diets of six health women will be tracked over a two month period. This information will be compared to their changing body weight and muscle mass over the trial period. All participants will be provided with surveys to track their perceptions of health as it pertains to diet during the trial period. It is expected that vegetarian body builders will maintain or increase muscle mass while indicating an increased perception of health compared to omnivore participants.

Background

Many body builders claim that it is important to consume diets high in protein in order to successfully build their body mass. While it is necessary to eat high levels of protein, it is necessary to consider that all forms of protein are derived from the same biological macromolecule. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids, and there are 20 amino acids that help support the growth of muscles and other tissues in the body (Janelle & Barr 1995). However, only 9 of these amino acids are considered to be “essential”. Only nine amino acids need to be consumed because the body is able to synthesize the remaining 11 from nutrients that are already present. Many meat eaters support the consumption of meat because turkey, chicken, and roast beef are considered to be “complete” proteins for having all 9 amino acids. Meanwhile, the only plant that is considered to be a “complete” protein is soy (Layman 2003).

Despite the fact that most vegetables are not classified as complete proteins, it is important to consider that different vegetables contain different amino acids. Therefore, when vegetables and fruits are consumed as a part of a well-balanced diet, a vegetarian is able to obtain the same amino acid nutrition as an omnivore (Perry et al. 2001). Furthermore, there are less fats found in these foods, so many body builders argue that a vegetarian diet is preferable; it allows the individual to focus solely on building muscle instead of removing unnecessary fat. In addition, more vitamins and minerals are found within these foods, indicating that an individual that consumes on average more vegetables and fruits may follow a healthier diet. Since diets that are fortified in vitamins and minerals contribute to a higher level of energy, body builders that follow these lifestyles may have more energy and therefore work out more effectively than their meat-eating peers.

A well-balanced diet must include daily intake of 0.85 grams of proteins for every kilogram of body weight. Vegetarian diets can adequately meet this consumption requirement, provided that the individual is aware of how to properly balance their consumption of fruits and vegetables in addition to gaining an understanding of which non-meats are high in protein. There are lots of foods rich in proteins for the vegetarians rivaling the amount got from meat or animal related products (Sizer, Piche? and Whitney 2012, p. 225). Soy and legumes are the most popular choices. Therefore, the primary argument that vegetarians lack proteins is a misplaced. Instead, vegetarians must seek their proteins from a more diverse range of foods compared to what is required for omnivores.

In addition to the nutritional equivalency of vegetarian diets, an important implication of this lifestyle choice is that it is considerably more affordable than meat-based diets. Many body builders are concerned with acquiring the appropriate food to support their muscle building habits. However, these diets can become expensive, especially understanding the fact that body builders must consume more food than the average individual to support their muscle growth. Dr. Mark Porter, while not a vegetarian himself, asks his clients to give vegetarianism a try both because of the associated health benefits and due to the affordability aspect of the diet (Frances and Whitney 2013, p. 219). Therefore, vegetarian diets appear to be more sustainable than meat-based diets for body builders.

Question/Aim/Hypothesis

This study aims to determine whether following a vegetarian diet will enable female body builders to acquire the same quantity of protein as female body builders that consume meat-based diets. It is hypothesized that the source of protein is irrelevant as long as the amount of protein obtained is consistent. In addition, this research intends to show that female body builders that follow vegetarian diets will be healthier overall because of the enhanced nutrition that this diet offers. It is expected that female body builders that follow vegetarian diets will feel healthier than those that follow primarily meat-based diets due to the enhanced vitamins and minerals that fruits and vegetables contain. Furthermore, individuals that follow the vegetarian diet are expected to feel more energetic, which will allow them to participate in more exercise to build their muscle mass. Overall, it is expected that vegetarian female body builders will be able to gain an equal or greater muscle mass compared to female body builders that follow primarily meat-based diets.

Methods and Data Analysis        

To determine whether vegetarian diets are sufficient for female body builders in terms of muscle mass development, 20 female body builders will be recruited from the local gym, 10 vegetarian and 10 non-vegetarian. To determine their eating habits at baseline, they will be asked to provide me with information pertaining the food they have eaten prior to the beginning of the trial, including the amount of protein consumed each day. Furthermore, they will be weighed and their Body Mass Index (kg/m²) will be determined. Finally, their percent body fat will be measured as a general indicator of muscle mass. To assess their general perception of health at the beginning of the study, they will be asked to complete a survey that asks about their level of energy, and how much time they work out each day, how much time they would work out each day if they never got tired. Each subject will then be asked to keep a detailed list of the foods they consume in addition to the amount of protein found in each. They will also be asked to keep track of their morning weight daily.

One month in to the trial, the meat-eating group will be asked to switch to a vegetarian diet. They will be asked to track their food intake as normal, but 100% of their protein should come from plant-based sources. At the beginning of the second half of this trial, these participants will be asked to find their weight, indicate their general health perception using the survey provided, and have their body fat percentage measured.

At the end of the trial, all participants will have their weight, general health perception, and body fat percentage measured. The vegetarian group, will have their health compared from the beginning of the study to the end of the two-month period. The meat-eating group will have their health compared from the beginning of the study to the diet switch point and to their health at the end of the study. The change in muscle mass, weight, and health perception will be compared for the two groups as a part of the analysis. Line graphs will be made for each participant to track their change in weight over the 2 month period, and these line graphs will be superimposed to understand the distinct change in weight that occurred between the two study groups. Bar graphs will be used to represent the change in muscle mass at the three distinct data points between the two groups.

Ethics, Risk Assessment, and Feasibility

To ensure that this study is of an ethical nature, all participants will be provided with informed consent before the start of the study. Furthermore, they will be informed of any risks, such as risks related to dietary changes for the meat-eating group. However, it is expected that the risk for participating in this study is minimal and harm that could occur to the participant is from the implementation of their regular workout routine. In addition, this study intends to determine whether vegetarian diets support female body building. Therefore, for participating in this study, all individuals will receive a copy of the results so that it could positively influence their physical activity, independently of the researcher’s personal bias towards vegetarian diets.

The overall risk of participating in the study is low. After the research data is collected, participants will be referred to using a code name to ensure that their personal health data cannot be accessed by an unauthorized individual. All data will be matched to a code that will help the research team track the individual progress of each participant throughout the study.

Overall, the study is feasible. However, it may be challenging to obtain 10 vegetarian participants from one gym. Therefore, it may be reasonable to use other gyms for participant recruitment. Since my gym has approximately 500 members, it is plausible to assume that at least 10 individuals are vegetarian and are willing to participate in the study. On the other hand, it may be challenging to find 10 non-vegetarians that are willing to follow a vegetarian diet for a one month period. Even after individual agree to do so and are consented for the study, it is reasonable to assume that some of the non-vegetarian participants may be dishonest about following the vegetarian diet, which will ultimately impact the results of the study.

Another aspect of this project related to the feasibility of this study is that it may be challenging to contact the participants to return for the check-ins for weight and body fat percentage measurement. Therefore, it is important to retrieve several forms of contact information from the participant in addition to an understanding of their gym schedule so these follow-up sessions will be minimally inconvenient for them. In general, it is expected that participants would be willing to be compliant because this research has the potential to support their personal body building practices, making the time they spend on self-improvement more effective.

Last, it is important to consider that this is a pilot study so only a small sample size of participants are being used. Therefore, it cannot be said that the results retrieved will be externally valid. Instead, they are internally valid and true for the individuals that belong to the gym that is being used for the study. Since 20 individual are being recruited total, the study population represents approximately 5% of the gym’s members, which is a reasonable sample size for this population. However, there are thousands of female body builders across the country, who may be exposed to different health factors that would make these results not pertain to them specifically. Therefore, to extend the meaning of the study, it would be necessary to follow a larger and more diverse population. If the results of this pilot study are found to be meaningful, then there would be reason to begin developing a similar study that would access a wider range of individuals. These results can be potentially beneficial to the body building community at large.

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