The Claim
In healthy older adults consuming 1.5 g of protein per kg of lean body mass daily, distributing protein evenly across meals does not enhance the muscle's ability to incorporate dietary amino acids into new muscle tissue compared to consuming 60% of protein at dinner, indicating that postprandial amino acid utilization is not limited by meal timing under conditions of sufficient total protein intake.
What the research says
Supports is higher
Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.
These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.
In healthy older adults who consume 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass daily, spreading protein intake evenly across meals has the same effect on muscle protein synthesis as consuming 60% of protein at dinner. Meal timing does not affect how well muscles use amino acids when total daily protein intake is sufficient.
See the scientific wording
In healthy older adults consuming 1.5 g of protein per kg of lean body mass daily, the muscle's ability to incorporate dietary amino acids into new muscle tissue is not enhanced by distributing protein evenly across meals compared to consuming 60% at dinner, indicating that postprandial amino acid utilization is not limited by meal timing under sufficient total intake.
When enough protein is eaten each day, the body breaks it down into amino acids and keeps them circulating in the blood long enough for muscles to use them whenever they need to build new tissue, no matter when the protein is eaten.
What the research says
1 studyWhen older adults eat enough protein overall, it doesn't matter if they spread it out or eat most at dinner—muscles build just as well either way.
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.