Protein: Does it matter when you eat it?

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ericwhitt
ericwhitt Posts: 87 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How does protein ingestion work exactly. I've read various reports that state if you eat too much at once, your body doesn't get the same benefits as if you spread it out throughout the day. I've also ready taking protein within 30 minutes of ending your workout has added benefits such as faster recovery time. None of this comes from sites that had any sort of research to back it up. So is there any truth to this, or is it just bloggers trying to stir the pot.

As of right now, my diet generally involves a protein shake, greek yogurt and protein bar before lunch. After my workout I do a protein shake with some fruits and veggies thrown in, and then another dose of protein for dinner. I'm probably getting around 120g or so of protein a day for a 5'10 210lb male. I'd say ~60g comes from breakfast, and another 30 from my post workout shake. So I'm just curious as if I need to switch off maybe eating my protein bar for lunch instead of breakfast.

Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Timing doesn't matter.

    Here's a video where Dr. Layne Norton explains this in further detail:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTF9YR6BU9k
  • ericwhitt
    ericwhitt Posts: 87 Member
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    So short answer is it does matter, but not in the sense it gets wasted, it just gets converted to something else. I don't think I'm eating enough per meal to cap out on his 3-4grams of Leucien a meal anyways, so I should be fine with how I'm doing this.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    ericwhitt wrote: »
    So short answer is it does matter, but not in the sense it gets wasted, it just gets converted to something else. I don't think I'm eating enough per meal to cap out on his 3-4grams of Leucien a meal anyways, so I should be fine with how I'm doing this.

    yep, pretty much. :)
  • ericwhitt
    ericwhitt Posts: 87 Member
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    Perfect, thank you, pretty informative video.
  • Deanthedog
    Deanthedog Posts: 122 Member
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    Depending on your muscle mass and your goals will determine how much protein you actually need to consume and you only absorb so much at any one time so it's a good idea to spread it throughout the day.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Deanthedog wrote: »
    Depending on your muscle mass and your goals will determine how much protein you actually need to consume and you only absorb so much at any one time so it's a good idea to spread it throughout the day.

    Watch the video ;)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    I cam here to start a thread asking a similar question; instead I'll ask here.

    Does your protein intake average out over several days? If I go over my goal/requirement today and wind up under tomorrow by the same amount, is that basically the same as meeting my goal both days?
  • whatatime2befit
    whatatime2befit Posts: 625 Member
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    Latest research shows that it doesn't matter when you ingest it, it can be all one big meal or spread out over the day.
  • rebel_26
    rebel_26 Posts: 1,826 Member
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    other than the fact you stress your kidneys and liver more when you eat high protein meals and slow your digestion down its likely more beneficial to spread protein throughout the day as opposed to trying to eat large high protein meals. The actual usage of the protein ingested for muscle building/Retention depends on so many factors.

    I'm all about trying to be in an anabolic state during my awoken hours. I eat several meals a day and each one has some protein elements in it.

    It is true the concept of having to slam a shake post workout is not necessary. I did ask a guy at the gym what he was making and he said "protein shake bro gotta take advantage of the anabolic window". I suggested he do some research.
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
    edited October 2016
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    No need to overthink it. Unless you are a bodybuilder or a competitive athlete looking for an edge just get your protien for the day and relax. If you are interested here is a good article

    https://medium.com/@dannylennon/researchers-point-to-the-optimal-protein-dose-timing-distribution-to-maximize-muscle-e95c0ab570b0#.olu0h8coj


    Cliff Notes Summary (tl;dr)

    Muscle protein synthesis is an anabolic response that occurs in response to protein feeding and resistance training. On the protein front, it specifically relates to leucine intake. To maximize the MPS response, ~2.5g of leucine is required. This is known as the “leucine threshold”.

    To maximize the muscle protein synthesis response over the course of a day, it seems that 3–4 evenly spaced meals that surpass the leucine threshold is a prudent strategy.

    A meal containing 0.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight (g/kg BW) from a high-quality protein source will allow an individual to hit the leucine threshold. For most people this is somewhere between 20–40g.
    The best sources of protein for this purpose are animal proteins (particularly whey protein) due to their high branched-chain amino acid composition. Plant-based protein sources will mean a higher protein intake is needed to hit the required level of leucine.

    When MPS is “spiked” in response to a protein feeding, it will drop back to baseline within 2–3 hours. This drop will occur regardless of whether protein or amino acids continue to be fed and leucine remains high. This is potentially due to high demand of ATP required by cells for MPS (i.e. MPS is an energy-expensive process and the cell will stop MPS to conserve energy).

    MPS is only a proxy measure for muscle hypertrophy, not an exact correlate. Net muscle protein balance (MPS vs. muscle protein breakdown) matters more. And further, there are many other factors than influence actual hypertrophy outside of MPS and MPB.

    Of all the macronutrients, it seems that timing and distribution (versus simply total daily intake) is most important when it comes to protein. However, there are pragmatic examples of scenarios where we may not theoretically maximize MPS, yet still preserve and/or build plenty of muscle mass. For example, daily intermittent fasting.



    More good reads

    http://www.leanbodiesconsulting.com/articles/the-protein-interview-an-interview-with-dr-stuart-phillips/

    http://muscleevo.net/lyle-mcdonald-interview/
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Timing doesn't matter.

    Here's a video where Dr. Layne Norton explains this in further detail:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTF9YR6BU9k
    whatatime2befit wrote: »
    Latest research shows that it doesn't matter when you ingest it, it can be all one big meal or spread out over the day.

    This definitely isn't optimal though. I agree meal timing is irrelevant to an extent, but having it all in one meal isn't as good as throughout the day for protein synthesis. There's a difference between functional (one big meal) and optimal (spaced out). Especially with exercise.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Timing doesn't matter.

    Here's a video where Dr. Layne Norton explains this in further detail:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTF9YR6BU9k
    whatatime2befit wrote: »
    Latest research shows that it doesn't matter when you ingest it, it can be all one big meal or spread out over the day.

    This definitely isn't optimal though. I agree meal timing is irrelevant to an extent, but having it all in one meal isn't as good as throughout the day for protein synthesis. There's a difference between functional (one big meal) and optimal (spaced out). Especially with exercise.

    Ultimately, it depends on what you are trying to achieve. But most people aren't in the position to have the need to maximize everything at optimal levels.

    But it's a great video and I love Dr. Norton's stuff.

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