Is plant-based protein effective for stimulating muscle growth?
Several studies have shown that plant-based protein can be less effective to stimulate muscle protein synthesis (the process driving muscle growth) as compared to animal-based protein.
This has been attributed to:
- a lower digestibility
- a lower total essential amino acid content (building blocks for muscle)
- a sub-optimal amino acid profile in which one of the essential amino acids is lacking and therefore limiting protein synthesis.
Such studies have usually compared ~20 g of an isolated protein supplement (e.g. whey vs soy protein shake).
Mixing different plant-based protein sources (such as in a meal) can create a more balanced amino acid profile and may improve the muscle growth response. However, this concept has not been investigated much.
Another strategy is to simply consume a greater amount of plant-based protein to compensate for its lower quality.
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Loved your overview article and bookmarked it:
https://www.nutritiontactics.com/measure-muscle-protein-synthesis/
I’ve read a lot about the difference between plant and animal protein, but so far it seems to me it mainly boils down to amino acid composition
So my question: is it true that animal protein from different sources, with some added amino acids added, is simply as good as e.g. whey, or are there other factors that still give animal protein an edge?
An example is this vegan whey replacement that claims to be “better than whey”: https://en.silverbackprotein.nl/
Thank you Auke.
Amino acid composition is an important factor in protein quality, but there are more. In terms of amino acid composition, yes you can mix different protein sources to get a more complete amino acid profile.
For example, how much of the protein gets digested and absorbed (otherwise the amino acids simply cannot be used). For protein powders, this is very high regardless whether its animal or plant protein. For whole foods it can make quite some difference: a lot of plant-based foods have a low protein digestibility.
In terms of that adverisement claim: there is no protein “better than whey” for muscle growth.
Having said that, you don’t need to be better than or even the same as whey. Your goal is to get enough of all the amino acids to maximize recovery and growth. If you simply consume various protein sources throughout the day and your total protein intake is high, the you’re good to go. You don’t necessarily need whey or animal proteins for that. They are just a bit more efficient (you need less total protein).