Is Plant Protein Equally As Effective At Promoting Lean Muscle Mass Compared To Meat?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i3.3487Keywords:
plant based diet, omnivorous diet, plant protein, lean muscle mass, muscle synthesis, protein quality, amino acidAbstract
In the past few decades, there has been an increased emphasis on plant-based diets. While plant-based diets have many cardiovascular and environmental benefits, little is known about how plant-based diets specifically impact athletic performance and promote muscle growth. Many athletes are reluctant to adopt plant-based diets, fearing that they will lose lean muscle mass due to insufficient protein content. In this research review, we evaluate factors that differentiate plant proteins and meat in regard to optimal lean muscle synthesis. One of the more important differences between plant protein and meat is their amino acid composition. Since meats contain all 9 essential and many nonessential amino acids, they have a more “well-rounded” amino acid composition, thus being more effective at promoting lean muscle growth. A protein source’s amino acid composition, along with other factors such as cell structure, affects its bioavailability. Due to differences in protein bioavailability, different quantities of distinct protein sources may need to be consumed to reach the same anabolic effect. In addition to amino acid compositions, nutrient densities also differ between plant proteins and meats. Although there are some exceptions, plant-based proteins tend to offer a more balanced profile of minerals and nutrients, which also facilitate lean muscle synthesis on the chemical level. Overall, an omnivorous diet may be optimal for muscle growth, but introducing a variety of plant proteins with different amino acid and nutritional profiles can help overcome this variance.
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