protein & weight training

by Diane Lofshult

Food for Thought:

Can eating more protein after a training session help enhance the anabolic effect of resistance exercise? The answer is a qualified “yes,” according to the results of a small study published in the January issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The researchers observed the effect of dietary protein intake after six young, healthy men completed an “intense bout” of resistance training that involved the leg muscles. After exercising, the participants ingested different amounts of whole-egg protein (5–40 g).

At the end of this limited study, the researchers concluded that 20 g was the most effective dose to stimulate muscle protein synthesis after resistance training. Anything more, said the researchers, was not necessary or more effective.