How much protein in a meal to maximize muscle growth?
Exercise and protein ingestion are the two main factors that stimulate muscle protein synthesis (the mechanism driving muscle growth).
As little as 5 g of protein can already stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Higher doses of protein further stimulate muscle protein synthesis in a linear fashion up to 20 g.
Doubling the amount of protein from 10 to 40 g only gives a relatively small 10-20% further increase in muscle protein synthesis compared to 20 g protein in young men. This has been shown in rested conditions and after exercise.
Therefore, 20 g is often considered the ‘optimal’ amount of protein in a meal. However, 40 g does seem to consistently give a small additional benefit that might be worth it for some.
These results are supported by several studies. However, these studies have used high-quality protein shakes. The optimal amount of protein in a meal is likely different for other types of proteins, whole-food meals, the meal moment, different for other populations, etc. All these factors are extensively discussed in this review.
Go to the next infographic in the protein series:
How much protein after endurance exercise?
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