Adequate Amount of Protein at Each Meal of the Day Boosts Muscle Health

Intake of equal portions of protein at each meal of the day helps improve muscle health, a new study claims.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston say that when protein is not distributed equally in the diet  then the potential for muscle growth drops.

Americans do consume the recommended amount of protein for the day i.e. 60 grams.  But this intake, if not evenly distributed, does not have the desired effect. Little or absolutely no protein for breakfast and some protein at lunch and a heavily loaded protein dinner is not good.  According to the team, this does not offer the optimal environment needed for boosting healthy aging and also maintaining muscle size and strength.

In this study, the researchers observed a set of healthy adults who were given similar diets that differed in the amount of protein. They received a daily dose of 90 grams of protein that is the average amount consumed by U.S. adults.

One diet had 30 grams of protein at each meal and the other had 10 grams of protein at breakfast, 15 grams at lunch and 65 grams at dinner.  The primary source of protein for each daily menu was lean meat.

The researchers then determined the volunteer's protein synthesis rare over 24 hour period by using the blood samples and thigh muscle biopsies.

The researchers noticed that when the subject's intake of protein was equally distributed their 24 hour muscle protein synthesis was 2 percent more than those who had uneven protein distribution pattern. 

This clearly reveals that an effective pattern of protein consumption may differ from the daily eating habits of the U.S. citizens.

"You don't have to eat massive amounts of protein to maximize muscle synthesis, you just have to be a little more thoughtful with how you apportion it. For breakfast consider replacing some carbohydrate, particularly the simple sugars, with high-quality protein. Throw in an egg, a glass of milk, yogurt or add a handful of nuts to get closer to 30 grams of protein, do something similar to get to 30 for lunch, and then moderate the amount of protein for dinner. Do this, and over the course of the day you will likely spend much more time synthesizing muscle protein," said muscle metabolism expert Doug Paddon-Jones of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

The finding was documented in the journal Nutrition.