Frequently asked questions and answers related to Protein
Protein
Summary of Protein
Study Deep Dives
- Good meat, bad meat, red meat, white meat
- Is timing really everything?
- The effects of soy vs. animal protein supplementation on muscle mass and strength
- Beyond brawn: can protein supplementation fuel aerobic improvement?
- Does whey supplementation help muscle function recover after lifting?
- Throwdown, round 3: plant vs. animal protein for bone health
- Protein gains: not just for the men
- Can whole eggs help make swole legs?
- You may be sleeping, but your muscles don’t have to!
- Pro-bono: protein for bone retention
- A higher protein diet for 48 hours can create a negative energy balance
- Deeper Dive: Elevated protein intake can benefit lean mass
- Can the Mediterranean Diet curtail inflammation in Type 2 diabetes?
- Beef protein: anabolic underdog?
- Lean beef: take it or leave it for weight loss
- Is there really no benefit from protein supplementation on weight loss maintenance?
- The effect of protein supplementation on muscle mass and strength
- Supercharging muscle protein synthesis through essential amino acids
- Nulls: January-February 2020
- Not just for making cakes: baking soda may improve exercise performance
- Protein, fast and slow
- Timing protein before bed for gains
- Adding protein to carbohydrates for better endurance performance
- Use it or lose it — high protein or not!
- Deep Dive: Does trimming the saturated fat from your diet actually lower heart disease risk?
- Throwdown, round 2: plant vs. animal protein for type 2 diabetes
- Should one gram per pound be the new RDA for bodybuilders?
- Protein for hypertension: the whey to go?
- Up your protein, lower your diabetes risk?
- A second look at protein quantity after exercise
- Can arachidonic acid work as a bodybuilding supplement?
- How much protein does grandpa really need?
- Protein: sleep fuel?
- Dieting, with a side of extra protein
- Recovering from osteoarthritis surgery: a joint effort between amino acid supplementation and exercise
- DASH plus fat equals ...
- From jelly to muscle: collagen and body composition
- Throwdown, round 1: plant vs animal protein for metabolic syndrome
- HMB-elly be gone
- Metabolic chamber of secrets: effects of protein on metabolism when overeating
- One meal, two meal, three meal, more?
- On the whey to getting lean: one more round of whey vs. soy
- Vitamin C and E supplementation may hinder strength training
- Can switching from meat to plant-based meat alternatives reduce cardiovascular disease risk?
- Deep Dive: Comparing different protein sources' impact on bone turnover
- Deep Dive: Does low protein intake slow down chronic kidney disease progression?
- The effects of increased protein intake on overall energy intake in older adults
- Deep Dive: Evaluating the relationship between training status and optimal protein intake
- Comparing animal and plant protein in the context of resistance training
- Investigating the efficacy of protein supplementation for older people with and without resistance training
Click here to become an Examine Member and stay on top of the latest research.
Frequently Asked Questions and Articles on Protein
How can you assess protein quality?
Several scales have been developed to rate proteins according to their respective bioavailabilities and, more recently, amino acid profiles. Those scales can help guide your choice of protein, as long as you understand their premises and limitations.
How does protein affect weight loss?
To lose more fat and retain more muscle on a weight-loss diet, protein quantity matters more than protein quality.
Should one gram per pound be the new RDA for bodybuilders?
On a non-workout day (at least 48 hours after a workout), amateur male bodybuilders require an average of 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (g/kg). However, the RDA-equivalent protein requirement was 2.2 g/kg, or 1 gram per pound. In this population, consuming 2.2 g/kg of protein would be expected to cover the protein requirements of 97.5% of people.
Whey vs soy protein: which is better when losing weight?
Whey protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis rates more than soy protein, but supplementing with ~25 grams per day of either has similar effects on body composition over two weeks of dieting.
How much protein can you eat in one sitting?
You can eat as much protein as you want in one sitting. There is a limit in how fast your body can absorb protein, but any excess protein will simply reside in your gut.
Can eating too much protein be bad for you?
Eating a high-protein diet doesn't appear to harm the kidneys or liver unless there is pre-existing damage and dysfunction. It's possible that dramatically increasing protein intake in a short timespan can lead to adverse effects on the liver and kidneys, but evidence for this is lacking. Bone health also appears to be either largely unaffected or benefited by eating more protein.
Protein Intake Guide
Your optimal daily protein intake depends on your weight, goal, and level of physical activity: from 1.2–1.8 g/kg if you’re sedentary all the way up to 3.3 g/kg if you’re trying to minimize fat gain during a bulk.
5 little-known facts about protein
Can you survive if you eat only protein? Can you survive without eating protein? How does your body keep functioning when you fast? Do high-protein diets actually promote weight loss, or do they only help you retain muscle when you eat below maintenance? Find the answers to those questions, and more, in the article below.
How much protein do you need after exercise?
A higher dosage of protein after your workout results in higher muscle protein synthesis (MPS).
Throwdown: plant vs. animal protein for type 2 diabetes
In round one of this fight, an earlier study showed that a diet with protein-rich plants didn't provide a metabolic advantage. Round two explores metabolic impacts from a different angle: amino acid composition of plant versus animal protein.
How to minimize fat gain during the holidays
Holiday season is when most people gain weight (and then struggle to take it off). Overfeeding on protein could be your solution in helping minimize the fat gain.
Do muscle building supplements cause testicular cancer?
There is no evidence that muscle building supplements (MBS) can cause testicular cancer.
Does high-protein intake help when dieting?
We analyze a study which suggests that a higher protein-intake while dieting can help you lose more fat.
What should you eat for weight loss?
When it comes to figuring out what to eat for weight loss, the most important factor is eating less. When you consume less calories than you spend you will lose weight and the diet that helps you lose weight best will be the one that allows you to consume less calories without causing much distress or lethargy. The key is to pick a diet that you can adhere to.
Whey Protein and Efficiency
Whey is a high-quality source of protein rich in the amino acid cysteine, which can bolster the body's antioxidant defenses, and glutamine, which can benefit intestinal health. There may also be an anti-cancer benefit with undenatured whey maintaining its bioactive peptide contents.
Fact check: does glutamine build muscle?
Glutamine supplementation does not affect body composition, but it may accelerate strength recovery from resistance-training sessions and reduce the occurrence of infections in hard-training endurance athletes.
High-Protein Diets Linked to Cancer: Should You Be Concerned?
