Research
Macro partitioning
There is no significant difference between plant and animal protein for muscle strength or physical performance.
You do not need animal protein to build strength or improve physical performance. Plant protein is equally effective for these outcomes. Focus on consistent training and adequate protein intake.
GoodRefutesMEDIUM confidence
No significant difference was found between plant or animal protein for muscle strength (n = 14 RCTs) or physical performance (n = 5 RCTs).
Why this rating
Based on a subset of RCTs (14 for strength, 5 for performance) included in the meta-analysis.
Source
Effect of Plant Versus Animal Protein on Muscle Mass, Strength, Physical Performance, and Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Rachel Reid-McCann et al. · Nutrition Reviews · 2025
DOI 10.1093/nutrit/nuae200
Meta-analysis · 43 studiesCited 18×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Compared with animal protein, plant protein results in lower muscle mass, with a stronger negative effect observed in younger adults (<60 years) than in older adults (≥60 years).Good
- Animal protein improves muscle mass compared to non-soy plant proteins (rice, chia, oat, potato) and plant-based diets, while soy protein is equivalent to milk protein for muscle mass.Good
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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