The Study
Per meal dose and frequency of protein consumption is associated with lean mass and muscle performance.
This study looked at a group of older people and found that those who ate bigger protein meals more often tended to have stronger legs and more muscle. But it didn’t change their diet to see if that caused the change — it just noticed a pattern. So we don’t know if eating more protein made them stronger, or if stronger people just happened to eat more protein.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Eating protein-rich meals (at least 30g) once or twice a day may help older adults keep more muscle and be stronger.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 542 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — having two protein-rich meals a day instead of one or none could mean noticeably more muscle and strength, which helps older adults stay mobile and independent.
- 2People who ate 1 protein meal (≥30g) had 1160 units more leg muscle and 23.6 units more strength than those who ate none.
- 3Those who ate 2 meals had 2389 more muscle units and 51.1 more strength units.
- 4More than 45g per meal didn't help more if eaten twice a day.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Clinical nutrition
Year
2016
Authors
J. Loenneke, P. Loprinzi, C. Murphy, Stuart M Phillips
Related Content
Claims (7)
Consuming more protein results in greater gains in muscle mass and strength, and these gains are larger than the biological effects caused by activation of the mTOR pathway.
Adults aged 50 to 85 who eat at least two meals per day with 30 grams or more of protein have higher leg muscle mass and stronger knee extensor muscles than those who eat no meals with this amount of protein, with the strongest effects seen when each meal contains 30 to 45 grams of protein.
In adults aged 50–85, leg lean mass stops increasing with higher protein intake per meal at 45 grams for those who eat protein twice or more per day, and at 30 grams for those who eat protein only once per day.
Adults aged 50–85 who eat at least two meals per day with 30 grams or more of protein have higher leg muscle mass and stronger knee extensor muscles than those who eat no meals with this level of protein, with the strongest effect seen when each meal contains 30–45 grams of protein.
For adults aged 50 to 85, leg lean mass stops increasing at 45 grams of protein per meal if protein is consumed twice daily, and at 30 grams of protein per meal if protein is consumed only once daily.
In adults aged 50 to 85, the amount of lean muscle in the legs explains 64% of why people who eat more protein-rich meals have stronger knee extensor muscles.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.