How breakfast protein helps muscles grow when women lift weights
Relationship between protein intake and resistance training-induced muscle hypertrophy in middle-aged women: A pilot study.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Women who started with lower breakfast protein gained more muscle when they increased it, while higher initial intake was linked to smaller gains.
Most assume starting with optimal nutrition gives the best results, but here, those with room to improve benefited the most—suggesting a 'catch-up' effect.
Practical Takeaways
Gradually increase the amount of protein you eat at breakfast if you're doing strength training and want to build more muscle.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Women who started with lower breakfast protein gained more muscle when they increased it, while higher initial intake was linked to smaller gains.
Most assume starting with optimal nutrition gives the best results, but here, those with room to improve benefited the most—suggesting a 'catch-up' effect.
Practical Takeaways
Gradually increase the amount of protein you eat at breakfast if you're doing strength training and want to build more muscle.
Publication
Journal
Nutrition
Year
2022
Authors
J. Yasuda, K. Murata, Tsubasa Hasegawa, Mana Yamamura, S. Maeo, Junya Takegaki, Nobuaki Tottori, Takumi Yokokawa, R. Mori, T. Arimitsu, Shu Nishikori, S. Fujita
Related Content
Claims (4)
Most of the reason why people gain muscle at different rates isn't because of their genes—it's because of things they can change, like how hard they train, how much they eat, and how focused they are in the gym.
Working out with weights twice a week for four months can help middle-aged Japanese women build a little more muscle, even as they get older.
If middle-aged Japanese women eat more protein at breakfast over time while strength training, they may gain more muscle — but if they already eat a lot of protein at breakfast to start with, they might not gain as much.
If middle-aged Japanese women who are doing strength training start eating more protein at breakfast—especially if they weren’t eating much before—they’re likely to gain more muscle.