Here are several time frames where eating protein might give you better results.
Most people prioritise their post-workout protein in the fitness community. After strength training, it's thought that a protein shake would help you develop the biggest, sturdiest muscles possible. While it's true that your body requires the protein to repair exercise-related damage, new study indicates that it's not always best to consume your whey immediately following a lifting session.
The study, which was released in July 2021 by the journal Cell Reports, discovered that it's really preferable to consume protein first thing in the morning, particularly if muscle growth is your primary objective. Researchers evaluated whether high-protein meals eaten early in the day or late in the day had an effect on muscle hypertrophy, muscle growth, and overall protein synthesis by combining a variety of studies on both mice and humans. Protein consumption between 5am and 10am was demonstrated to boost hypertrophy and enhance muscle performance.
It all has to do with our circadian rhythms, according to Dr. Andrew, a neurologist who highlighted the topic on the most recent episode of his podcast Andrew Lab. All of our cells, including the muscle fibres, have internal "clocks" that regulate how they function during the course of a day. One of those modifications involves how they create proteins.
"Your muscle cells are primed to incorporate amino acids and synthesise muscle when you wake up in the morning, assuming you're following a standard schedule being asleep at night and awake during the day," says Dr. Andrew. "This is true whether you weight train in the morning, at night, or not at all.
Yes, it appears that consuming protein in the morning is even more crucial than consuming protein after working out. "Since exercise is known to stimulate protein synthesis, changing amino acids after exercise makes sense. But in this study, it didn't seem to matter where in the 24-hour period the resistance exercise took place. Amino acid consumption in the morning or early in the day "seems to always be advantageous," according to Dr. Andrew.
Does this imply that consuming protein in the afternoon or evening is not a good idea? Of course not, never. It simply means that you should prioritise your morning consumption of high-quality proteins if you want to maintain or add to your muscle mass.
If you practise intermittent fasting, you may want to move your mealtime earlier so that you can consume protein before 10am. Those who often grab a cereal bar or a bowl of overnight oats as they go out the door can think about adding a protein shake to their meal as well.
"Regardless of one's level of athletic ability or age, maintaining muscle is crucial because the loss of skeletal muscle as we get older is one of the main causes of injury. As we become older, it's also one of the main reasons for cognitive and metabolic deficiencies, Dr. Andrew points out. Use that as a justification to schedule a protein pancake or egg-based breakfast going forward.
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