The Claim
In healthy adults, long-term skeletal muscle mass stability is maintained through the integration of postprandial and postabsorptive fluctuations in muscle protein synthesis and breakdown, where feeding promotes a positive net protein balance (muscle protein synthesis exceeding breakdown) and fasting promotes a negative net protein balance (breakdown exceeding synthesis).
What the research says
Roughly balanced
Support and challenge are close. The picture may shift as more studies come in.
These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.
Your muscles stay the same size over time because your body constantly builds and breaks them down. Eating tips the balance toward building, while not eating tips it toward breaking down — and over time, these ups and downs balance out.
See the scientific wording
In healthy adults, skeletal muscle mass is maintained over time through a balance between muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB), with feeding shifting the balance toward positive net protein balance (MPS > MPB) and fasting shifting it back toward negative balance (MPB > MPS), indicating that long-term muscle mass stability depends on the integration of these postprandial and postabsorptive fluctuations.
What the research says
1 studyThe study shows that eating helps build muscle by making the body produce more muscle protein than it breaks down, while fasting does the opposite, which supports the idea that muscle stays stable over time by balancing these two phases.
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.