Dairy products…
The second so-called rule of the competition diet is very often that dairy products “have to” be removed from the menu. Competitors drop them at different times, of course, and the typical argument is that “dairy makes you look watery”. I have looked into this and I think I know the theory behind the idea that dairy robs you of definition and makes your physique look watery.
My view: in the early days of bodybuilding, bodybuilders built muscle mass on whole milk. When the time came to start the competition diet, the first thing to go from the menu was, naturally, that rich whole milk (high in calories and fat). This gave rise to the attitude and belief that milk is something that makes you puffy, adds mass and thereby makes you look watery. Add Arnold’s remark from “Pumping Iron”, “Milk is for babies!”, and the myth was born: dairy has to be left off the menu for the duration of the diet, no matter what.
Why are dairy products important during a diet? One important reason has to do with calcium and our bone health. Dairy provides the largest amount of calcium in our diet, and for skeletal health this is vitally important, especially for women and especially when protein makes up a proportionally large share of the menu (5). In other words, a large amount of protein without enough calcium promotes bone thinning, while an optimal amount of calcium together with protein has a positive effect on bone density (5). Female bodybuilders in particular, who consume large amounts of protein without calcium, put their long-term skeletal health at real risk.
This fact, of course, has nothing to do with fat burning in itself. But why do dairy products matter from a fat-burning standpoint? In a sense, dairy products during a diet even promote fat burning (6). At first, the fat-burning effect was thought to come purely from the calcium in dairy, which has a positive effect on fat oxidation and promotes the passage of fat through the intestine without being absorbed. In at least one study, increasing calcium intake meant an extra 60 kcal worth of fat passed through unabsorbed per day. Over a period of 12 – 16 weeks, that adds up to nearly 1 kg less fat (7). This effect is achievable only with calcium that comes from milk, not with a supplement taken in capsules (8).
However, this effect is no longer attributed solely to the calcium in dairy; other components found in dairy are believed to play an important role too. The ratios and amounts of BCAA/L-leucine in dairy products are thought to play a part (6). I would add that whey, casein and milk protein isolates all contain the same proteins and compounds as dairy products, so we most likely get from them the same effect that some competing bodybuilders are trying to avoid by cutting out dairy. In fact, quite a few competing bodybuilders also recommend removing protein powders from the diet. By dropping both protein powders and dairy, you give up a great deal of the potential that milk proteins actually offer our body.
In reality, there are no direct grounds for the belief that dairy makes you look watery. Another possibility, in my view, is the salt in dairy, but we already discussed that in the first part. If anything, a low salt content in the menu stimulates water retention in the body. Regular cottage cheese can contain around 500 mg of sodium per serving; in milk, yogurt and cheese the amount is 150 – 300 mg or so.
With a normal daily sodium intake, the salt added by dairy shouldn’t cause any particular problems. On a competition diet, you shouldn’t worry about salt until a few days before competition day. Fiddling with salt in the middle of a diet is a big, pointless mistake. Water and salt should be dealt with when the right time has truly come.
Another potential problem can be hypersensitivity to milk. This too can produce a certain puffy look. However, studies claim that hypersensitivity to cow’s milk occurs in only 1 – 3% of people, even though it is diagnosed about ten times more often (9, 10). Also, lactose intolerance and allergy to a particular food are actually separate things; lactose intolerance means an inability to digest lactose, and it causes gas and an unpleasant feeling in the stomach.
Lactose intolerance varies between ethnic groups, and the problem can be avoided by drinking lactose-free milk or taking lactase tablets. In addition, even people with very severe lactose intolerance can still eat cheese and yogurt; eating dairy together with other foods also helps eliminate the problem (11).
But it is clear that individuals who truly have a serious, pronounced hypersensitivity to dairy should avoid dairy products. That said, it seems doubtful that every bodybuilder and fitness athlete really belongs to the 1 – 3% of people on our planet with lactose hypersensitivity. Most likely, much like with salt intake, bodybuilders tend to attribute a certain mythical “look-ruining” effect to dairy products as well. As I said earlier, the same goes for dairy: who cares if you look a little watery during the diet? A maximally dry look only pays off on competition day.
If dairy is a problem for you, leave it off the menu for the last week before the competition. If you have done everything right and the diet has done its job, you will still be dry and look good on competition day. If you like to manipulate water, do it 1 – 3 days before the competition, but playing water games or avoiding certain foods 16 or 12 weeks before the competition is simply foolish!!!
References…
1. Hosoda HJ. Biological, physiological, and pharmacological aspects of ghrelin. Pharmacol Sci. 2006;100(5):398-410. Epub 2006 Apr 13.
2. Brownley KA Dietary sodium restriction alters postprandial ghrelin: implications for race differences in obesity. Ethn Dis. 2006 Autumn;16(4):844-51.
3. Keller U et. al. Effects of changes in hydration on protein, glucose and lipid metabolism in man: impact on health. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Dec;57 Suppl 2:S69-74.
4. Antolic A et. al. The effect of extracellular osmolality on cell volume and resting metabolism in mammalian skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2007 Jan 18; [Epub ahead of print]
5. Dawson-Hughes B. Interaction of dietary calcium and protein in bone health in humans. J Nutr. 2003 Mar;133(3):852S-854S.
6. Zemel MB. Role of calcium and dairy products in energy partioning and weight management. Am J Clin Nutr (2004) 79 (suppl): 907s-912s.
7. Jacobsen R. Effect of short-term high dietary calcium intake on 24-h energy expenditure, fat oxidation, and fecal fat excretion. Int J Obes (Lond). 2005 Mar;29(3):292-301.
8. Lorenzen JK et. al. Effect of dairy calcium or supplementary calcium intake on postprandial fat metabolism, appetite, and subsequent energy intake. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Mar;85(3):678-87.
9. Bahna SL Cow’s milk allergy versus cow milk intolerance.. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2002 Dec;89(6 Suppl 1):56-60. Links
10. Crittenden RG and LE Bennett. Cow’s milk allergy: a complex disorder. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005 Dec;24(6 Suppl):582S-91S. Review.
11. Huth PJ et. al. Major scientific advances with dairy foods in nutrition and health. J Dairy Sci. 2006 Apr;89(4):1207-21. Review.
Author: Janar Rückenberg (translation)
Come and train! ArtGym
