The Study
Complementary plant protein pairing does not further increase post-exercise myofibrillar protein synthesis after a 20 g protein dose within a high-carbohydrate whole-food matrix in young adults: a randomized controlled trial.
This study tested whether eating beans and rice together after a workout builds muscle better than eating the same nutrients as pills. It found no difference, but only 11 people tried it, so we can't be super sure. It doesn't prove one is better or worse — just that they were about the same in this small group.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave young athletes either a meal of beans and rice or a science-made powder with the same protein, carbs, and fat after lifting weights to see which made muscles grow better.
Where does this study sit?
Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control
Max 58Cross-Sectional
Max 44Case Reports & Series
Max 30Expert Opinion
Max 559 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1For someone trying to build muscle, getting 20g of protein from plants like beans and rice works just as well as a supplement — but animal protein like pork works even better.
- 2Both the beans+rice meal and the powder made muscles grow at almost the same rate (0.057% vs 0.052% per hour).
- 3But ground pork made muscles grow much more.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The American journal of clinical nutrition
Year
2026
Authors
Žan Zupančič, Takeshi M. Barnes, Max T. Deutz, Gena Irwin, Joshua E. Zimring, Calvin Chen, A. Askow, Alexander V. Ulanov, Jared W. Willard, Luc J. C. van Loon, Nicholas A. Burd
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.