Research
Energy balance
Excess dietary protein cannot be stored in the body and is instead oxidized for energy or converted to glucose/urea, meaning high protein intake does not directly lead to increased tissue storage without concurrent resistance training.
Do not expect high protein intake alone to build muscle or add mass. If you are not exercising, your body will burn the excess protein for energy or excrete it as urea. To utilize protein for tissue growth, you must combine adequate intake with resistance training.
GoodRefutesHIGH confidence
In other words, in adulthood, protein cannot be stored in body tissue by just increasing the amount of exogenous protein…and staying in bed. The surplus of amino acids is used as metabolic fuel and is oxidized, unlike glucose and fatty acids substrates, which are stored in the liver (+ muscles) and adipose tissue, respectively.
Why this rating
The paper is a comprehensive review citing multiple kinetic studies and metabolic models, though it is not a primary clinical trial itself.
Source
Protein Turnover, Ureagenesis and Gluconeogenesis
Yves Schütz · International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research · 2011
DOI 10.1024/0300-9831/a000064
narrative_reviewCited 181×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- High protein intake significantly increases energy expenditure (thermogenesis) primarily through the energetic costs of protein turnover, ureagenesis, and gluconeogenesis.Good
- Gluconeogenesis from amino acids is a vital survival mechanism during starvation or low-carbohydrate intake, mobilizing muscle tissue to maintain blood glucose levels.Good
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