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How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution
Narrative review synthesising acute and longer trials: authors argue maximising anabolism targets ~0.4 g protein/kg/meal across at least four meals (≥1.6 g/kg/day), with an upper per-meal ceiling near ~0.55 g/kg/meal if spreading 2.2 g/kg/day across four feedings—framing distribution debates beyond a simplistic 20–25 g ‘ceiling’ from fast-protein-only acute studies.
Scope
- Narrative / evidence synthesis (not a new RCT)
- Question: practical upper per-meal anabolic utilisation for people doing regimented resistance training
Practical distribution anchors (authors’ conclusions)
- Target: ~0.4 g/kg/meal across ≥4 meals → ≥1.6 g/kg/day baseline framing
- High daily intakes: spreading 2.2 g/kg/day across four meals implies up to ~0.55 g/kg/meal
- Emphasises interaction of digestion speed, co-ingested macronutrients, and acute MPS literature beyond a fixed 20–25 g fast-protein heuristic
Evidence hygiene
- Opinion-structured review—pair with primary MPS RCTs and longitudinal hypertrophy trials already linked on
resistance-training; not a medical prescription for CKD or older-adult renal risk contexts.
Publication
Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018 Feb 27;15:10. PMID 29497353.
Outcomes
- Review-derived practice framing: target ~0.4 g protein/kg per meal across ≥4 meals (≥1.6 g/kg/day); up to ~0.55 g/kg/meal when distributing 2.2 g/kg/day across four meals (Schoenfeld & Aragon 2018).