Research

Mixed

Higher protein intake (1.6 g/kg/day) modulates gut microbiota composition differently than moderate protein intake (1.0 g/kg/day) during resistance training, specifically affecting the abundance of Veillonellaceae, Akkermansia, and Eggerthellaceae.

While higher protein doesn't build more muscle, it does change your gut bacteria. Specifically, it increases beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia and Veillonellaceae. This may offer metabolic benefits independent of muscle growth, though the clinical significance is still being researched.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
In the HIGH protein group, the resistance training intervention increased the abundance of Eggerthellaceae (P < 0.001), Veillonellaceae (P < 0.001), and Akkermansia (P = 0.05).
Colleen F. McKenna et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2021

Why this rating

Exploratory analysis with multiple comparisons; while statistically significant, the clinical relevance of specific taxon changes is not fully established in this single trial.

Source

Higher protein intake during resistance training does not potentiate strength, but modulates gut microbiota, in middle-aged adults: a randomized control trial

Colleen F. McKenna et al. · American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2021

DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.00574.2020

rct · n=50Cited 34×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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