Another Study on Nutrient Timing

[The Solution]

Two New Papers, Review & RCT, Suggest: Nutrient Timing May Boost Lean Mass Gains by ~70%,


More data supporting nutrient timing actually being of significance especially in the well trained population. This supports Mori's 2014 paper on the same subject. Lots of people still hold on to dear life pointing at the Aragon and Shoenfeld meta analysis but they completely ignore the fact that the meta analysis was analyzing available data at the time which virtually did not look at nutrient timing on the well trained strength training population. Mori's 2014 paper and the two newer papers since then have more specificity as it looks at the topic within the context of a well trained strength training population.

Some Cliffs:

the article discusses (2) studies.

-The first one it is looking at is looking at what we already know that spiking MPS more times throughout the day is likely to be beneficial for muscle development.

-The second study it is looking at (Coura 2017) is a study which further supports what was learned from the Mori 2014 study (the Mori 2014 study saw significantly less muscle protein breakdown with post workout protein intervention vs administering that dose iirc 6 hours post workout, this suggests that there is a nutritional anabolic window post workout but only in well trained strength trainees).

 

[Wimsicle]

Interesting stuff! Thanks for the share Bob. I first started learning about nutrient timing from listening to Menno henselmens of bayesian bodybuilding and I too believe it plays a part. It's awesome there are studies coming out to show this!!

Spiking MPS prior to a workout (45 Min or so) has made noticeable differences in the past for me when I do that for 8 weeks vs not. I don't when I'm running big stim pwo or fasted workouts. Otherwise I do with coffee and Mct (while keto in my situation) and it works great.

 

[mmorso]

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[The Solution]

Most people know that whey stimulates muscle protein synthesis more synthesis when compared to casein protein.
However, it is often claimed that that casein protein is more ''anti-catabolic'' than whey protein.

This idea comes from the OG study that compared whey and casein protein and found:

''Whole body protein breakdown was inhibited by 34% after CAS ingestion but not after WP ingestion.'' CAS = casein, WP = wey protein
I hope the people who have been following me recognize the problem in that paragraph because it's something I have to address quite often...
The key part there is ''whole-body''. This is a measurement of protein breakdown in all proteins in the body and not specific to muscle. Most people don't recognize this difference but it's crucial (do you even science methodology bro?). You should absolutely not translate whole-body protein breakdown data to the muscle.

In fact, basically anytime you're not fasted, you'll have slowed down muscle protein breakdown rates as much as possible (so both whey and casein would have the same effect).

Whole-body vs muscle protein synthesis:
http://www.nutritiontactics.com/measure-muscle-protein-synthesis/#41_Whole-body_protein_synthesis_vs_muscle_protein_synthesis

Why muscle protein breakdown is of less importance
http://www.nutritiontactics.com/measure-muscle-protein-synthesis/#2_Why_muscle_protein_breakdown_is_of_less_importance

The OG whey vs casein study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9405716

Cliffs:
While muscle protein breakdown is an important process, it doesn’t fluctuate much, which makes it far less important for muscle gains than muscle protein synthesis
Whole-body protein synthesis is not really relevant for athletes. (often just called protein synthesis in studies, don’t confuse it with muscle protein synthesis)
Muscle protein synthesis is predictive for muscle hypertrophy.
Muscle protein synthesis studies are more sensitive to pick up anabolic effects than long-term studies measuring changes in muscle mass
It’s easy to draw wrong conclusions if you don’t fully understand the methods.
How to optimize muscle protein synthesis: exercise guidelines:

Train each muscle group at least twice a week with multiple sets
Rep range doesn’t matter if you train (close?) to failure
Rest at least 2 minutes between sets
How to optimize muscle protein synthesis: nutrition guidelines:

Eat 4-5 meals spread throughout the day: e.g. breakfast, lunch, post-workout shake, dinner, and pre-sleep.
Eat 20-40 g protein at each meal. Amounts above 20 g give a small additional benefit.
Choose animal protein (whey protein is the best). Or compensate by eating larger amount of plant protein.
If your main goal is to build muscle, eat at least maintenance calories.