A research by the University of Texas Medical Branch found that eating equal portions of proteins during each meal enhances muscle health.
For the study, the researchers examined healthy adults who were given similar diets with had different amounts of protein. One diet had 30 grams of protein at each meal while the other had 10 grams of protein at breakfast, 15 grams at lunch and 65 grams at dinner. Researchers said that lean beef was the primary nutrient-dense source of protein for each daily menu.
After this, the research team analyzed the participants' protein synthesis rate over a 24-hour period using their blood samples and thigh muscle biopsies.
The study findings revealed that when the respondents' intake of protein was equally distributed their 24 hour muscle protein synthesis was 2 percent more than those who had uneven protein distribution pattern.
Researchers advised that more effective eating strategy for making muscle and controlling total caloric intake would be to shift some of the extra protein consumed at dinner to lunch and breakfast.
"You don't have to eat massive amounts of protein to maximize muscle synthesis, you just have to be a little more thoughtful with how you apportion it. For breakfast consider replacing some carbohydrate, particularly the simple sugars, with high-quality protein. Throw in an egg, a glass of milk, yogurt or add a handful of nuts to get closer to 30 grams of protein, do something similar to get to 30 for lunch, and then moderate the amount of protein for dinner. Do this, and over the course of the day you will likely spend much more time synthesizing muscle protein," said muscle metabolism expert Doug Paddon-Jones of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
