GALVESTON, Texas —For building optimal muscle, eating large amounts of protein might not be the best strategy, according to a recent study from University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The study also suggests methods that improve regular eating patterns and that reduce muscle loss in the elderly.
When researchers measured muscle synthesis rates in people who consumed different amounts of lean beef, they found that only about the first 30 grams of dietary protein per meal actually produce muscle.
"In young and old adults, we saw that 12 ounces gave exactly the same increase in muscle protein synthesis as 4 ounces," says associate professor Douglas Paddon-Jones, senior author of a paper on the study published in the September issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. "This suggests that at around 30 grams of protein per meal, maybe a little less, muscle protein synthesis hits an upper ceiling. I think this has a lot of application for how we design meals and make menu recommendations for both young and older adults."
The results suggest that moving some of the excess protein consumed at one meal to a protein-deficient meal, like breakfast, would be more efficient for making muscle and controlling total caloric intake.