Research
Macro partitioning
Athletes should consume high-quality protein distributed across 4-5 daily meals, targeting 0.3-0.4 g/kg per meal, to optimize muscle protein synthesis and adaptation to training.
Eat 4-5 meals a day, each containing about 0.3-0.4 grams of high-quality protein per kilogram of your body weight. For a 70kg athlete, this is roughly 21-28g of protein per meal. If you are trying to lose weight, aim for the higher end (0.4-0.5 g/kg) to protect muscle mass.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
High-quality protein-rich foods (high in leucine), when consumed in amounts equivalent to ~0.3–0.4 g/kg of rapidly digested protein at four to five eating occasions per day, can optimize the training response in Athletes with optimal energy availability.
Why this rating
Based on a consensus statement synthesizing current evidence, not a single primary trial.
Source
International Association of Athletics Federations Consensus Statement 2019: Nutrition for Athletics
Louise M. Burke et al. · International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism · 2019
clinical_guidelineCited 234×
Read the paper This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →