How much protein do you need to support your workout recovery and adaptation or growth? The maximum capacity of protein production in the body is equivalent to about 50 kcals per hour. Since the body does not have a storage site for protein, whenever protein is not available from your last meal your muscle tissue is broken down as it is sacrificed for protein production in more important organs. This means that 3-6 hours after eating, your muscles are degrading instead of recovering. If you are a competing athlete, eat some protein every few hours when possible on the days that recovery is most important to you. But if maximum performance is not critically important to you, having some quality protein in each of your three major meals in the day is enough. Consuming more than ~100 kcals (25 g) of protein at any one sitting results in excess excretion in the urine rather than more muscle growth because excess protein cannot be stored. This is also true right after exercise: A large amount of protein consumption simply enriches your urine. Muscle growth is not at its maximum rate until the muscle damaged during exercise is being removed by your immune system, which is when you feel delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) the next day.
Studies show that the slower protein digests the longer amino acids are available, as much as doubling how much muscle growth occurs, even when the slower digesting protein is not of as high a quality [casein has an amino acid ratio not as good as whey, but casein digests slower and increased muscle in male police officers twice as fast as whey: Demling RH and DeSanti L, Ann Nutr Metab 44 (2000) 21]. The easiest way to slow down protein digestion rate is to use solid food (poultry, lean meats, low-fat dairy, low-mercury fish, egg whites, soy) as opposed to supplements when possible, and eat raw vegetables, which slows stomach emptying.
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