The Study
Vegan and Omnivorous High Protein Diets Support Comparable Daily Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis Rates and Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy in Young Adults
This study gave two groups of young people different high-protein diets—one with meat and dairy, one with plant foods like mycoprotein—and then made them lift weights for 10 weeks. They measured muscle growth very carefully and found both groups got just as strong and muscular. So, it shows that this specific plant-based diet works as well as the meat-based one for building muscle.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested if eating only plant-based protein (like mycoprotein) helps people build muscle just as well as eating meat and dairy, when both groups eat enough protein and lift weights.
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 568 / 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 — this means vegans who eat enough protein and train hard can build muscle just as effectively as meat-eaters, debunking the myth that animal protein is necessary for muscle growth.
- 2Both groups gained the same amount of muscle: lean mass increased by 5.5%, thigh muscle volume by 8.3%, and strength improved equally.
- 3Muscle protein synthesis rose 12% after workouts, no matter the protein source.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The Journal of Nutrition
Year
2023
Authors
A. J. Monteyne, M. Coelho, A. Murton, D. Abdelrahman, Jamie R. Blackwell, C. Koscien, Karen M. Knapp, J. Fulford, T. Finnigan, M. Dirks, F. Stephens, B. Wall
Related Content
Claims (10)
People following a high-protein vegan diet with mycoprotein can consume enough protein to meet the 2.0 g/kg/day target and build muscle through resistance training at the same rate as people eating meat and dairy.
When people consume the same amount of protein per kilogram of body weight, those following a vegan diet gain the same amount of muscle strength from resistance training as those following an omnivorous diet, and their neuromuscular adaptations to training are not reduced by avoiding animal-derived protein.
In healthy young adults performing 10 weeks of high-volume resistance training, a vegan diet providing 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily from mycoprotein results in the same rate of muscle protein synthesis and muscle growth as a diet with the same amount of protein from animal sources.
In healthy young adults who do resistance training, muscle protein synthesis is 12% higher in the muscles that were exercised compared to those that were at rest, regardless of whether the protein came from animal sources or plant-based mycoprotein.
In healthy young adults, a 10-week high-volume resistance training program with at least 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day results in a 5.5% increase in whole-body lean mass and an 8.3% increase in thigh muscle volume. Progressive overload drives muscle growth independently of the protein source consumed.
Young adults who lift weights gain the same amount of strength whether they eat a high-protein vegan diet or a high-protein omnivorous diet, as measured by maximum lifts in squat, deadlift, and bench press.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.