Research
Hormonal
Food intake stimulates insulin release and mTOR-dependent protein synthesis in muscle, while excess amino acids are oxidized leading to increased urea production.
After eating, your body uses amino acids to build muscle (via mTOR and insulin) and oxidizes any excess for energy, producing urea. This highlights that protein has a limit to how much can be used for synthesis at once.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Food intake briefly increases plasma amino acid levels, which stimulates insulin release and mTOR-dependent protein synthesis in muscle. Excess amino acids are oxidised, resulting in increased urea production.
Why this rating
Standard physiological description.
Source
Amino acid homeostasis and signalling in mammalian cells and organisms
Stefan Bröer et al. · Biochemical Journal · 2017
DOI 10.1042/bcj20160822
narrative_reviewCited 496×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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