Does Eating More Protein Build Bigger Muscles?
Protein drink manufacturers and coaches for eons have recommended eating more protein to weight lifters and athletes. However, making bigger muscles is a complex dance of biochemical reactions, so can we be sure that just throwing more protein into the mix will actually end up in making more muscle? In addition, as we age, muscles lose their ability to respond to anabolic stimuli and more protein. This is thought to happen because of a decrease in the ability of protein to activate something called the mTOR pathway (if you add an “h” after the “T”, it looks like mThOR, the big muscle movie guy). Well several recent studies including one just published, do show that adding more protein after weight lifting activate this muscle building mTOR pathway. The upshot? You might want to consider getting a shaker bottle and a good protein drink, as taking a swig after a workout may really help build muscle. Why is more muscle important? It helps to increase the amount of calories you burn just by moving, which in our modern sedentary world with too many calories all around us, isn’t a bad thing. Plus who wouldn’t want to look like Thor?
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