Research

Macro partitioning

Distributing protein intake evenly across meals (spread-feeding) with 25-35g of high-quality protein per meal is more effective for sustaining 24-hour muscle protein synthesis than consuming the majority of protein in one or two meals.

Don't skip meals. Try to eat 25-35 grams of protein at every meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks if needed). This keeps your muscles building throughout the day. A large dinner alone won't do as much as spreading it out.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
older persons should be encouraged to eat between 1.0 and 1.2 g/kg of body weight per day of protein through the consumption of an adequate serving (e.g., 25–35 g) of high-quality protein sources at every meal [35,39].
Francesco Landi et al. · Nutrients · 2016

Why this rating

Based on mechanistic studies and some clinical trials, but the paper notes uncertainty and need for more specific studies.

Source

Protein Intake and Muscle Health in Old Age: From Biological Plausibility to Clinical Evidence

Francesco Landi et al. · Nutrients · 2016

narrative_reviewCited 211×
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 →