When you eat a big protein meal (100g) after working out, your body releases more protein building blocks into your blood than when you eat a smaller meal (25g) - about 53g vs 16g over 12 hours.
Scientific Claim
The ingestion of 100 grams of protein after resistance exercise leads to a greater cumulative release of dietary-protein-derived amino acids into circulation compared to 25 grams of protein, with 53±7g vs 16±1g released over 12 hours in healthy young men.
Source Excerpt
“The absolute amount of dietary-protein-derived amino acids appearing in the circulation over the 12-h postprandial period was substantially higher following ingestion of 100 when compared to 25 g protein (53 ± 7 vs. 16 ± 1 g, respectively) (Figures 6A and 6D).”
Evidence from Studies
Supporting Studies
The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans
The study used intrinsically labeled protein to directly measure amino acid release into circulation. The data shows a clear dose-dependent increase in amino acid appearance with 100g protein resulting in significantly higher absolute amounts released compared to 25g protein.