More protein = longer muscle building
The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
100g protein doesn't get wasted as fuel
Common belief is that excess protein beyond 25g gets oxidized (burned for energy), but the study found 'protein ingestion has a negligible impact on whole-body amino acid oxidation rates'
Practical Takeaways
If you want to maximize muscle building after workouts, consider eating a larger protein meal (70-100g) rather than spreading small amounts throughout the day
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
100g protein doesn't get wasted as fuel
Common belief is that excess protein beyond 25g gets oxidized (burned for energy), but the study found 'protein ingestion has a negligible impact on whole-body amino acid oxidation rates'
Practical Takeaways
If you want to maximize muscle building after workouts, consider eating a larger protein meal (70-100g) rather than spreading small amounts throughout the day
Publication
Journal
Cell Reports Medicine
Year
2023
Authors
J. Trommelen, Glenn A. A. van Lieshout, J. Nyakayiru, A. Holwerda, J. Smeets, Floris K. Hendriks, J. V. van Kranenburg, A. Zorenc, J. Senden, J. Goessens, A. Gijsen, Luc J. C. van Loon
Related Content
Claims (10)
Eating a big protein meal (100g) after working out makes your muscles keep building for longer than a smaller meal (25g), at least for 12 hours.
When you eat a big protein meal (100g) after working out, your body releases more protein building blocks into your blood than when you eat a smaller meal (25g) - about 53g vs 16g over 12 hours.
Eating protein after working out doesn't make your body burn more protein as fuel than it needs for building muscle - most of the protein goes toward building muscle instead of being burned for energy.
When you eat a big protein meal (100g) after working out, your muscles absorb more of that protein for building than when you eat a smaller meal (25g) - about 13% of the big meal gets used for muscle building.
Eating protein after working out doesn't change how fast your muscles break down protein - it just helps build more muscle without affecting the breakdown process.