Ingestion of 30g of lesser mealworm protein induces a postprandial rise in plasma amino acids sufficient to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, even though peak leucine concentrations are lower than those observed after milk protein ingestion, indicating that total amino acid availability is the primary driver of muscle protein synthesis in this context.

When protein is eaten, it breaks down into amino acids that enter the blood and travel to muscles. These amino acids, especially leucine, turn on a molecular switch called mTORC1, which tells the muscle to start building new proteins. Even if one amino acid doesn't spike as high, as long as enough total amino acids are present, the switch still turns on and muscles keep growing.