Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Emerging evidence reveals that the body can effectively utilize even very large protein doses.

This challenges the notion that protein must be meticulously spread over multiple meals to maximize muscle protein synthesis.

Even though an even daily protein distribution is ideal,

This doesn't mean that consuming the same total amount of protein in fewer high-protein meals is ineffective.

Protein distribution is important but not vital.

When you eat a larger dose of protein, it takes longer to digest but your body will eventually use it.

This is contrary to what some people think happens when you consume more

than 20 to 25 grams of protein in a single meal.

They think that the excess protein will just be excreted by the body and otherwise wasted.

In fact, a study by Dr. Luke Van Loon and colleagues found that consuming 100 grams of protein after exercise led to a more robust and prolonged anabolic response than did 25 grams of protein, but had negligible effects on amino acid oxidation.

The conclusion from this study was, quote, the magnitude and duration of the anabolic response to protein has no upper limit in humans and has been severely underestimated, end quote.

This dispels a few myths about how the body can use only 20 to 25 grams of protein at once.

As a practical takeaway, a more evenly distributed pattern of protein intake throughout the day is probably what we should be striving for.

But evidence like this highlights why more and more experts seem to be aligning on the simple fact that the vast majority of us, athletes or not, should be thinking about protein intake from the standpoint of total efficiency.

daily intake with less overall focus on factors like timing or the per meal intake.

Another question that people have regarding protein timing is whether protein needs to be consumed immediately after exercise to enhance the effects of training.

This idea is known as the anabolic window.

The anabolic window is a period after exercise typically lasting from 30 minutes to two hours during which the body is primed to absorb and utilize nutrients, particularly protein and carbohydrates for muscle repair and growth.

It occurs because the body's ability to synthesize protein

and replenish glycogen stores is heightened, aided by exercise-induced hormonal changes like increased insulin levels.