#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
Do you believe that there is a much brighter future, a step function and improvement in the quality of nutrition science that lies ahead with AI synthetic data collection or creation rather?
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
Is there something that could fundamentally change nutrition science in terms of
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
how we go about gathering data so that we can be potentially less reliant on epidemiology, which I'm sure we will discuss the shortfalls of today.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
And we should just explain for listeners why this is an important discussion in science, especially in human trials, and especially in human trials with nutrition.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
Because there's a real statistical power, and I don't use that in the beta sense of the word, but a statistical gift that comes from being able to do a crossover in that you can now leverage a student t-test, for example, as a very powerful statistical tool that allows you to use fewer subjects and therefore a fraction of the cost.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
So I'm guessing, I don't follow this debate, by the way, but I'm going to guess that you're going to say Kevin Hall favors a crossover.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
Not to speak for Kevin, but I would bet the reason Kevin favors it is because the type of work Kevin does is insanely expensive.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
He's putting patients in metabolic chambers and therefore the fewer patients that he needs to do that with, the easier he can do his work.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
Well, with that, let's go back to where we started, which is the RDA for protein consumption.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
Now, many folks, Don Lehman and others, have argued that the RDA is insufficient if you're actually trying to optimize health and if you're actually in pursuit of another agenda, which might be avoiding sarcopenia later in life, achieving your peak in physical performance.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
That's not the peak of physical performance, right?
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
But if your objective is beyond survival, you might want to have more.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
And the numbers for what more tends to be seem to converge in the ballpark of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram, if you're trying to go for a minimum effective dose, but easily up to two.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
I hesitate to talk this way because it's the way I think, but I know it's not the way others do.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
#368 ‒ The protein debate: optimal intake, limitations of the RDA, whether high-protein intake is harmful, and how to think about processed foods | David Allison, Ph.D.
So the more concave down it is, the more negative the second derivative, the quicker you get to that point of diminishing return.