Dr Robert Wildman, PhD, CEO of the new brand TYM Performance, has sourced protein ingredients and spoken on the development of the category for decades. He will be lending his expertise as a panelist at NutraIngredients-USA’s Sports & Active Nutrition Summit 2022, which is scheduled for Feb. 14-16 in San Diego. The summit is being put on in cooperation with the American Herbal Products Association’s Sports Nutrition Committee, of which Wildman is the chairman.
Dr Wildman has seen the understanding of protein needs and the evolution of consumer attitudes about the products from the ground up. Dr Wildman served as chief science officer for Post Holdings’ active nutrition brands, including Dymatize and Power Bar, for about a decade. He has served as chairman of the AHPA committee for about the same amount of time.
Athletes need more
He said the scientific thinking on protein has achieved some modicum of consensus when it comes to supporting the needs of athletes and active nutrition consumers.
“I’d make the point that the thinking hasn’t changed,” he told NutraIngredients-USA. “The understanding remans that athletes need more protein — at least double the RDA.”
The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of protein, a value fixed by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, stands at 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. At that level, a consumer weighing 80 kilos (176 lbs) would need 64 grams of protein a day. Dr Wildman said if that same person were a trained athlete seeking to build and main muscle they’d need something like 130 grams or more.