A new study has found that the ideal amount of protein your body needs to build muscle may be less than many think.
According to Insider, citing Sports Medicine Open, eating only about 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day can help build the body and strengthen muscles. For example, a person who weighs 68 kilograms needs to eat 105 grams of protein per day.
Minimum Recommended
According to sports nutritionist Angie Ash, the results of the new study are not surprising, as they indicate that the minimum recommendations of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, which recommends eating between 1.4 and 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, are satisfied.
“It confirms what we already knew,” Ash told Insider. “It is interesting to see that more does not necessarily lead to more benefits. But it depends on the person and what their goals are.”
gain strength
Ash said the optimal amount and sources of protein for each person will vary depending on their fitness goals, and whether a person is looking to build muscle mass, burn fat or support athletic performance.
Ash added that eating more protein can help with weight loss or muscle gain, noting that the recent study focused on the ideal amount of protein to support strength gains, but the same recommendations may not apply to cases that want to increase muscle size, or change the composition of the body. the body in general.
Increase muscle mass
Ash explains that if a person wants to gain or tone muscle mass while losing body fat at the same time, known as remodeling, it might make sense to eat more protein because it satiates more, which helps maintain the calorie deficit needed for fat loss. .
“Satiety is an important factor. If your goal is muscle strength and you want to cut back on fat, it can be beneficial to increase the amount of fat you eat,” Ash said, explaining that protein also takes more energy to digest than other foods, which may provide an additional small advantage. If you are trying to lose weight.
Exercise
Simply eating protein alone will not build muscle, as one will need to do exercise, specifically what is known as strength training such as weightlifting. An important caveat in the study is that protein only helps build muscle if a person is doing weight-lifting and body-weight movements that put muscles under stress to stimulate them to grow bigger and stronger.
The best sources of protein
Study recommendations include that for best muscle-building results, sources of whole food protein should be chosen, and that there is no need to rely on supplements such as protein shakes or bars, or added protein in foods such as chips, ice cream and pizza.
Protein supplements can be appropriate, Ash says, but foods like meat, fish, beans and yogurt are naturally rich in protein as well as other nutrients like vitamins and minerals, so they should be the first choice.
IMPORTANT WARNING
Ash warned that it has become a “largely a marketing scam,” noting that “there is pressure in many ways to eat protein in the form of ultra-processed foods, but it’s kind of people going in the wrong direction because just increasing the protein won’t change body composition.” Protein should be obtained primarily from whole foods and compatible with strength training.”