Posted on 04/21/2025 6:05:19 PM PDT by Red Badger
In a nutshell
Vegan diets support muscle protein synthesis at the same rate as omnivorous diets when protein intake is matched (1.1-1.2g per kg of body weight).
How you distribute protein throughout the day (evenly across meals vs. mostly at dinner) doesn’t significantly impact muscle growth.
Vegan dieters reported higher energy levels and less fatigue, while omnivorous dieters reported greater meal satisfaction.
*******************************************************************
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Forget what you’ve heard at the gym about needing chicken breasts and steaks to build muscle. Science just delivered a win for plant-based eaters everywhere. Researchers found that vegan diets support muscle growth just as effectively as those loaded with animal proteins, according to a new study.
“Bro-science” at fitness centers has long claimed animal proteins are essential for serious gains. This misconception has fueled a massive supplement industry pushing whey protein and other animal-derived products as muscle-building necessities. The new research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise says is great news for those interested in moving more towards plant-based diets.
The Science Behind the Study
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign team, led by Andrew Askow and Nicholas Burd, discovered that when protein intake is matched, there’s no difference in how quickly muscles create new proteins—regardless of whether that protein comes from plants or animals.
The researchers studied 40 healthy, active young adults who followed either vegan or omnivorous diets for nine days while completing resistance training. Both groups consumed the same amount of protein daily (about 1.1-1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight). Using techniques involving heavy water and muscle samples, the scientists directly measured muscle protein synthesis rates—the process responsible for muscle growth.
In the paper, the researchers state: “Our results demonstrated that the anabolic action of animal vs. vegan dietary patterns are similar.” This finding directly contradicts long-held beliefs about animal protein superiority.
Animal protein vs Plant protein for muscle-building
It’s been a heavyweight debate for years now, but the latest research shows animal protein is no better than plant-based protein when it comes to building muscle. (Graphic by Michael B. Vincent)
Protein Timing Myth Busted
The researchers also tested whether protein distribution evenly throughout the day matters. Half the participants in each diet group consumed their protein in three uneven meals (10%, 30%, and 60% of daily protein), while the other half spread their protein intake evenly across five meals (20% each).
Despite popular theories suggesting that even protein distribution is optimal, the study found no significant difference between these approaches.
“There was no effect of dietary pattern or protein distribution on the stimulation of myofibrillar protein synthesis rates,” the researchers reported. Simply put, whether participants ate animal or plant proteins, and regardless of how they timed their meals, their muscles synthesized new proteins at similar rates.
The data rebuts theories suggesting precise meal timing and protein distribution are critical for muscle development. Exercise appears to enhance the body’s ability to use both protein types effectively, minimizing differences between animal and plant sources.
Mental and Physical Benefits
Interestingly, the study uncovered psychological differences between the diet groups. Participants following omnivorous diets reported “greater feelings of pleasantness” compared to those on vegan diets. However, the vegan group reported “higher feelings of energy and lower feelings of tiredness.” This suggests that while vegan diets may support equal muscle growth, they might also offer some advantages for energy levels during training.
The findings come at a time when plant-based eating continues to gain popularity, with many people reducing animal product consumption for health, environmental, or ethical reasons. This research provides reassurance that those choosing plant-based diets can achieve their fitness goals without compromise.
For athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and anyone concerned about maintaining muscle mass while reducing animal product consumption, the implications are straightforward: protein quality matters less than overall diet quality and consistent resistance training. You can build muscle effectively without animal products if you consume sufficient total protein from varied plant sources.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial with 40 healthy, physically-active young adults (28 males, 12 females, average age 25 years). Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups: omnivorous diet with balanced protein distribution (OMN-B), omnivorous diet with unbalanced protein distribution (OMN-UB), vegan diet with balanced protein distribution (VGN-B), or vegan diet with unbalanced distribution (VGN-UB). All participants consumed 1.1-1.2 g/kg/day of protein. The balanced distribution consisted of five meals with 20% of daily protein at each meal, while the unbalanced distribution had three meals with 10%, 30%, and 60% of daily protein. Participants completed a 9-day resistance training intervention with three supervised whole-body resistance exercise sessions. Researchers measured myofibrillar protein synthesis using deuterated water (D2O) consumption and muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis (thigh muscle).
Results The study found no significant differences in myofibrillar protein synthesis rates between any of the groups. The rates were 3.04±1.85%/day for OMN-UB, 2.43±1.21%/day for OMN-B, 2.52±1.77%/day for VGN-UB, and 2.49±1.56%/day for VGN-B. This indicates that both vegan and omnivorous diets supported similar muscle protein synthesis when protein intake was matched. The protein distribution pattern (balanced vs. unbalanced) did not affect muscle protein synthesis rates either. The study also assessed psychological well-being and found that participants on omnivorous diets reported greater feelings of pleasantness, while those on vegan diets reported higher energy and lower tiredness.
Limitations
The study was conducted over a relatively short period (9 days), so long-term effects remain unknown. The sample size (10-11 participants per group) was relatively small. All participants were young (20-40 years) and healthy, so results may not apply to older adults or those with health conditions. The researchers note that resistance exercise may have enhanced the anabolic response to both dietary patterns, potentially eliminating subtle differences between animal and plant proteins that might exist in less active individuals.
Funding and Disclosures
The study was funded by The Beef Checkoff, which could potentially introduce bias since the organization represents beef producers. However, the researchers stated that “Beef Checkoff sponsor was only involved in financial support of the project, without involvement in design, data collection, and analysis, nor interpretation and dissemination of the report.”
Publication Information
The study “Impact of Vegan Diets on Resistance Exercise-Mediated Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis in Healthy Young Males and Females: A Randomized Controlled Trial”
was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in March 2025 (accepted March 29, 2025).
The research was conducted by Andrew T. Askow, Takeshi M. Barnes, and colleagues from the Department of Health and Kinesiology and Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04232254).
Uh-huh...go to India, look at the muscles on the people who worship (not eat) cows, then come back and tell me that.
Pea n hemp protein powder ping. 80/20 mix is a complete vegan protein. 75/25 mix is also valid. Getting 90 grams protein daily from this would be easy.
“90+ grams of protein from plants???”
1. how many carb calories does one need to consume each day to obtain that much protein?
2. plant protein is notoriously difficult to digest and a large percentage passes through without being digested
3. vegan diets contain zero B12 ...
My friend, a Vegan is over 65 and walks five miles every day, winter and summer. You’ve never seen better looking long, slim legs. And though a Dem, she’s a nice, considerate person.
“Pea n hemp protein powder ping. 80/20 mix is a complete vegan protein. 75/25 mix is also valid. Getting 90 grams protein daily from this would be easy.”
sure ... but how many calories would have to consumed in a natural food vegan diet not artificially concentrated in a factory to get 90 grams of protein?
“Getting the 70-90 grams of protein my doc wants me to consume is hard enough...can’t imagine how much veggie protein I would have to eat to do so.”
just imagine eating 20 times as many carbohydrate calories with a vegan diet vs, say, the carnivore diet ...
“Cat food has a lot of Taurine in it”
cats have a VERY high requirement for taurine, so it’s a standard supplement in cat food ... we make our own cat food, so not only do we include chicken hearts in the recipe, but also supplement with taurine as well just to be safe ...
 Mitt Romney |
 Joe Biden |
 Barach Obama |
 Hillary Rotten Clinton |
 Michelle Obama |
I believe most studies on meat diets are sponsored by PETA or vegans. They really want to convince us to give up meat.
Funded by Big Soy
agri-giants? Archer Daniels Midland?
“The study was funded by The Beef Checkoff, which could potentially introduce bias since the organization represents beef producers. However, the researchers stated that “Beef Checkoff sponsor was only involved in financial support of the project, without involvement in design, data collection, and analysis, nor interpretation and dissemination of the report.”
For every idiot vegan...go to a mirror, look into it, open your mouth and look CAREFULLY at your own teeth! Your mouth and teeth were made to eat both plant and animal flesh...so obey what your body says and stop being a moron...EAT MEAT!
I need to put on muscle. I'm currently using a product called "Muscle Defense" from ApexLabs. I scoop each morning with another gram of HMB. I've been doing that for about 70 days. I've put on muscle on my legs and easily traverse up and down two flights of stairs multiple times each day. My target protein input is 100 to 120 grams. My target HMB is 3 grams. To goose the protein, I use a product from Optimal Amino. 2 scoops with water and 1 gram of HMB gives me 58 grams of protein with an optimal amino acid profile for building muscle. I'm holding around 150 lbs with a need for 2000 calories to hold my weight. I could do it with 1250 calories before the Whipple, but my digestive process is less efficient now.
I have another protein source purchased via Amazon and Walmart. It is a product called "Dymatize". It is hydrolyzed protein. I mix that will Lactaid lactose free whole milk and a gram of HMB. The scoop of Dymatize provides 120 calories. The milk is 160 calories for 8 oz.
I haven't included taurine explicitly yet. Losing my gallbladder and duodenum leaves me short of taurine, so that may be of value. Try out the Muscle Defense and Optimal Amino and HMB. HMB works even if you're not getting exercise to prevent muscle wasting.
The thing is before this he was the picture of health. He could work most younger men into the ground, healthy weight, no medication, chopped his own wood, mowed the lawn and in under six months he could hardly get out of his chair without a cane.
Then it was a walker and then a wheelchair for most of the day.
The docs all say "it is just old age" but they did not know him before. Something went wrong. So, like I said, I started trying anything I could think of that had even a chance of working. Nothing did until the taurine.
He rarely uses his chair at home now and only uses the walker when he is going to the store.
Maybe tomorrow he will slide back but for now he is improving.
Beef rules, soy drools
Sufficient total protein on a vegan diet is a LOT of food.
Especially if you kick it up to a gram per pound for heavy training.
It looks like studyfinds.org will “find” whatever you want to pay them to “find.”
There is a little more to the process. You want 5,000 IU D3/500 mcg K2 daily in addition to the 3 grams HMB and the Optimal Amino (2 scoops == 58 grams protein). The OA dosing is best on an empty stomach away from other protein input. Allow 30 minutes to absorb. I use a "ninja" mixer to spin up the water and "Muscle Defense" or "Optimal Amino" servings. It takes about 60 days of consistent use to really build in some muscle.
I was in need of a walker until I resolved the infections and started putting muscle back on. Once I ditched the walker, I haven't needed it again. I had cancer in 1985 and the consequence of that was testosterone levels down at 271. Normal is around 850. That was 1985. Putting on muscle is almost impossible...even speed skating 20 miles per day around Miramar Lake in San Diego (4 trips around).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.