Add Protein to Every Meal to Strengthen Muscles

If you're working on building muscles or losing weight, there is nothing more important than adding proteins to your daily meals. Previous studies have shown how eating a protein-rich meal can help maintain muscle fat but a new research insists on including a full serving of protein in every meal of the day. This new study indicates that the typical cereal or carbohydrate-dominated breakfast, a sandwich or salad at lunch and an overly large serving of meat protein for dinner may not provide the best metabolic environment to promote healthy aging and maintenance of muscle size and strength. The study appeared in the Journal of Nutrition. "You do not 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," said Doug Paddon-Jones of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in the US. It also pointed out that instead of adding protein only to your evening meals, its consumption should be evenly distributed throughout the day. The researchers measured the muscle protein synthesis rate in healthy adults who consumed two similar diets that differed in protein distribution throughout the day. One of the diets contained 30 grams of protein at each meal, while the other contained 10 grams at breakfast, 15 grams at lunch and 65 grams at dinner. When volunteers consumed the evenly distributed protein meals, their 24-hour muscle protein synthesis was 25 percent greater than those who ate according to the skewed protein distribution pattern. Age-related conditions such as osteoporosis (bone weakening) and sarcopenia (muscle wasting) are insidious processes precipitated by unhealthy lifestyle practices, the study showed. More than what you eat, it is actually how and how much of what you consume that can help you keep these ailments at bay. With inputs from IANS