Macro partitioning
A plant-based diet providing 1.6 g/kg/day of protein induces muscle hypertrophy and strength gains comparable to a mixed diet containing ~80% animal protein when total protein intake is matched.
If you are vegan or prefer plant-based eating, you can build muscle and strength just as effectively as omnivores. The key is to ensure you are consuming enough total protein—specifically around 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. You can achieve this through whole foods and supplements like soy protein isolate. Do not worry about the 'quality' or 'bioavailability' of plant protein as much as you worry about hitting your daily total protein target.
We conclude that a higher protein-content (1.6 g.kg-1.d-1) exclusive plant-based (including soy) protein diet is similarly effective as a mixed diet containing ~80% animal-based protein in supporting resistance training-induced muscle adaptations, suggesting that total protein, rather than protein quality, may be more important for muscle adaptations in untrained young individuals.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial with matched protein intake, though sample size is small (n=38) and duration is moderate (12 weeks).
Source
Influência da fonte proteica da dieta nas adaptações crônicas ao treinamento de força
Victoria María de Los Ángeles Hevia Larraín · 2020
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