The Study
Insects are a viable protein source for human consumption: from insect protein digestion to postprandial muscle protein synthesis in vivo in humans: a double-blind randomized trial
This study gave 24 young men either mealworm protein or milk protein and measured what happened in their muscles. It found that both types of protein worked about the same to help muscles grow after exercise. But it didn’t test if this works for kids, older people, or women—just these 24 guys.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave young men either mealworm powder or milk powder after working out to see if mealworms could help muscles grow just as well.
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 572 / 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 eating 30g of mealworm protein after a workout builds muscle just as well as drinking 30g of milk protein, making insects a viable alternative for muscle growth.
- 2Both mealworm and milk protein helped muscles grow at the same rate: mealworms raised muscle growth by 0.059% per hour after exercise, milk by 0.073% per hour.
- 373% of mealworm protein’s amino acids entered the blood, compared to 77% from milk.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Year
2021
Authors
Wesley J H Hermans, J. Senden, T. Churchward-Venne, K. Paulussen, C. Fuchs, J. Smeets, J. V. van Loon, L. Verdijk, L. V. van Loon
Related Content
Claims (6)
Lesser mealworm protein has the same levels of leucine and essential amino acids as milk protein and stimulates muscle protein synthesis to the same degree.
When consumed in a 30-gram dose, lesser mealworm protein releases phenylalanine into the bloodstream at a rate of 73% ± 7% over five hours, which is statistically similar to the 77% ± 7% rate from milk protein.
Consuming 30 grams of lesser mealworm protein results in the same increase in muscle protein synthesis after eating as consuming 30 grams of milk protein in healthy young men, whether they are at rest or recovering from resistance exercise.
Consuming 30 grams of lesser mealworm protein after resistance exercise results in the same amount of new muscle protein synthesis as consuming 30 grams of milk protein.
Consuming 30 grams of lesser mealworm protein causes a rise in blood amino acids that triggers muscle protein synthesis, and this effect occurs despite lower levels of leucine compared to milk protein, showing that the total amount of amino acids matters more than the peak level of leucine.
Without enough dietary protein, the body cannot build new muscle and will lose muscle mass over time.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.