Food

Animal or Vegetable Protein? For Building Muscle it Doesn’t Matter

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Muscles need protein to grow. The body, therefore, needs protein from food to build muscle. Researchers are now answering whether the protein source plays a role in this: When it comes to building muscle, it doesn’t matter whether the protein is of animal or vegetable origin.

Protein is necessary to build muscle. Many recreational athletes drink protein shakes after exercise and eat mainly quark and lean meat. They want to build up as much muscle mass as quickly as possible. But what about vegetarians, vegans, and those who just don’t want to eat as much meat or dairy?

Protein source plays no role in muscle building

Whether you consume animal protein from meat, for example, or vegetable protein from legumes, for example, makes no difference to muscle building. This is what researchers from the University of Massachusetts and the Hebrew Senior Life Institute found. A higher protein intake promotes muscle and strength gains, regardless of the source of the protein.

More protein, more muscle

Participants in a study were asked about their eating habits and divided into six food categories: fast food and high-fat diets, fish, red meat, chicken, milk, and legumes. At the same time, the muscle values ​​were recorded.

The result shows higher protein intake – more muscles and strength. However, no difference was found between the individual food categories with regard to muscle building. It is, therefore, possible to build muscle mass from animal protein in the same way as from vegetable protein.

Even if the protein source plays no role in muscle building, it does affect bone density. This is what another study found. People who eat more red, processed meat, therefore, have lower bone density and therefore a higher risk of osteoporosis.

Good news for non-meat eaters

The results prove: that muscle building is also possible with meatless diets. When it comes to building muscle, vegetarians and vegans have the same options and opportunities as meat-eaters. When it comes to muscle building, the primary factor is the amount of protein and not the protein source.

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