How Much Protein Can We Actually Use From One Meal?

Over the last five years, most health-minded individuals have experienced an increased awareness that protein intake is important for maintaining or building muscle.  Specifically, most of us could benefit from consuming more protein; we should be aiming for between 0.7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of our body weight (and this is even more important if we’re over the age of 55 because we are less efficient at assimilating protein as we age).

But here is what we’re still getting wrong: We assumed that our protein intake needs to be evenly (at least somewhat) spread throughout the day.  Specifically, if we ate a meal with too much protein, we assumed it was really a waste because our body couldn’t process that much protein.  “You can probably only process 30-40 grams of protein from one meal, so anything beyond that is a “waste,” was the advice.  A brand-new study published this month in the journal Cell Reports Medicine concluded that our assumption and the current wisdom is, in fact, wrong. 

Utilizing a sophisticated study design and assessment techniques, researchers had subjects consume 100 grams of protein in one meal and then carefully assessed their anabolic response (the effectiveness in utilizing that protein to build muscle).

The results?  We can effectively use 100 grams of protein to build muscle.  The researchers concluded, “These findings demonstrate that the magnitude of the anabolic response to protein ingestion is not restricted and has previously been underestimated...

Take home message:  If you are very low on your protein intake for multiple meals or throughout the course of your day, don’t fret, you can plan MORE protein consumption (up to 100 grams – the equivalent of a 16 oz steak) in one meal and it will still fuel your strength training progress.