Research
Macro partitioning
Timing protein intake immediately after exercise (within 30-60 minutes) maximizes muscle protein synthesis compared to delaying intake by 3 hours.
Try to eat protein within 30-60 minutes after your workout to maximize muscle building. However, do not stress if you miss this window; your total daily protein intake is much more important for long-term results.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Skeletal muscle takes up nutrients (e.g., AA, glucose and fatty acids) from the blood circulation most efficiently within the first 30–60 min after an exercise program is completed, followed by great reductions several hours later. Thus, the response of muscle protein synthesis to exercise-induced anabolism is much greater when AA intake is initiated immediately after the end of exercise, as compared to 3 h after the end of exercise.
Why this rating
The paper cites evidence for the timing effect but notes it is one factor among many (total intake, exercise type).
Source
Dietary protein intake and human health
Guoyao Wu · Food & Function · 2016
DOI 10.1039/c5fo01530h
narrative_reviewCited 699×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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