The Study
Short-term intermittent fasting and energy restriction do not impair rates of muscle protein synthesis: A randomised, controlled dietary intervention.
This study gave different diets to a small group of men and measured how fast their muscles repaired themselves. It found no difference between diets, so we can say these diets didn't change muscle repair rates—but it doesn't prove one diet is better than another for building muscle.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested if eating every other day with less food makes your muscles break down, compared to eating less every day or eating normally.
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 544 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even with big calorie cuts, as long as protein intake is high, your muscles don’t break down faster in the short term.
- 2All three groups lost similar amounts of weight and muscle.
- 3Muscle building stayed the same in all groups when protein intake was equal.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Clinical nutrition
Year
2024
Authors
I. W. Kouw, E. Parr, M. J. Wheeler, B. E. Radford, Rebecca C. Hall, J. Senden, J. Goessens, Luc J. C. van Loon, John A. Hawley
Related Content
Claims (4)
Consuming 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight while significantly reducing calorie intake maintains the amount of lean body mass.
In middle-aged overweight men, eating fewer calories every other day for 10 days does not change the rate of skeletal muscle protein synthesis compared to eating the same reduced amount every day or eating normally, as long as protein intake is kept the same in all diets.
In middle-aged overweight men, eating fewer calories through alternate-day fasting or daily calorie restriction leads to more weight loss than eating a balanced amount of calories over 10 days, and both methods reduce fat and muscle mass by the same amount.
In middle-aged overweight men, fasting leptin levels drop during short-term alternate-day fasting and continuous calorie restriction compared to a balanced diet, but fasting glucose and insulin levels do not change.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.