Womens Health recently released an article about the results of a study published in the Journal of Nutrition regarding the importance of protein in building muscles. According to the study, you can increase your muscle synthesis by 25 percent by including protein in every meal.
Metabolism experts at the University of Texas asked eight healthy adults to follow one of the two diets for a week. The first group had 30 grams of protein for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The second group had 10 grams at breakfast, 15 grams at lunch, and 65 grams at dinner. Both diet plans are basically the same (note that both total at 90 grams per day). They just differed at protein distribution.
The researchers evaluated blood samples and thigh muscle biopsies to see the rate of muscle synthesis (how fast the body builds muscle). Those who had an even distribution of protein the whole day increased their muscle syntheis rate by 25 percent as compared with the others who maximized their protein allocation for dinner.
Apparently, having a protein source on your plate at every meal gives you the steady supply of amino acids needed to build muscle. Also, when you eat most of your protein at night, your body converts it to fat or glucose.
It doesn't matter if you prefer meat, eggs, or beans as your protein source. If you aim to see muscle definition, help yourself by spreading your protein throughout the day. You just might get those abs sooner than you expect!
(Photo from The Pioneer Woman via Kelli Billmaier on Pinterest)
