McClatchy Newspapers

Often you hear of an athlete who consumes large quantities of protein daily in order to build muscle mass. Does that really work? Here’s a quiz to find out how much you know about protein in your diet.

1. For overall fitness or building strength, extra protein, beyond the amount recommended, offers no added performance benefits. True or false?

2. If you don’t consume enough carbohydrates for your energy demands, your body uses protein for energy instead. True or false?

3. Extra calories from eating excess protein is stored as body fat. True or false?

4. Athletes need far more protein than nonathletes. True or false?

5. Eight ounces of milk supplies eight grams of protein. True or false?

6. Excess protein in the diet has no side effects. True or false?

ANSWERS: 1. True. 2. True. 3. True. 4. False. 5. True. 6. False. It can cause metabolic imbalance, nervous system disorders and kidney problems.

Source: “American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide; Revised & Updated Third Edition,’’ by Roberta Larson Duyff