NO EXTRA STRENGTH WITH HIGH-PROTEIN DIET

A 10-week muscle-building and dietary program involving 50 middle-aged adults found no evidence that eating a high-protein diet increased strength or muscle mass more than consuming a moderate amount of protein while training. The intervention involved a standard strength-training protocol with sessions three times per week. None of the participants had previous weightlifting experience. Published in the American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, the study investigated the health effects of diet and resistance training in middle-aged adults (aged 40-64 years of age). The moderate-protein group ate about 1.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, and the high-protein group consumed about 1.6g per kilogram per day. “We found that high protein intake does not further increase gains in strength or affect body composition,” said study co-leader Professor Nicholas Burd. “It didn’t increase lean mass more than eating a moderate amount of protein.”