Hormonal
Animal-derived proteins (dairy, meat) elicit a superior postprandial muscle protein synthesis response in older adults compared to plant-based proteins (soya, wheat) due to higher digestibility, superior essential amino acid profiles (specifically leucine, lysine, methionine), and faster amino acid absorption kinetics.
If you are older and rely on plant proteins, you likely need to eat more of them than you would animal protein to get the same muscle-building benefit. Try combining different plant sources (like rice and peas) to get a complete amino acid profile, or consider adding a small amount of dairy/whey if your diet allows, as it is more efficient at stimulating muscle growth in aging muscles.
Based on currently available scientific evidence, animal-derived proteins may be considered more anabolic than plant-based protein sources... plant-based proteins generally exhibit lower digestibility, lower leucine content and deficiencies in certain essential amino acids such as lysine and methionine, which compromise the availability of a complete amino acid profile required for muscle protein synthesis.
Why this rating
The paper is a review citing multiple acute metabolic tracer studies (young and older adults) showing consistent differences, though long-term chronic data for specific plant proteins in older adults is noted as limited.
Source
Characterising the muscle anabolic potential of dairy, meat and plant-based protein sources in older adults
Stefan H. M. Gorissen et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2017
DOI 10.1017/s002966511700194x
More from this paper
- Increasing the dose of plant-based protein (e.g., 60g wheat) or blending complementary plant proteins (e.g., maize/soy) can overcome the inferior anabolic response of single plant sources in older adults, matching the efficacy of animal proteins.Moderate
- Prior resistance exercise and n-3 fatty acid (EPA/DHA) supplementation can sensitize skeletal muscle to plant-based proteins, enhancing the muscle protein synthesis response in older adults.Moderate
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