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Does Protein Ingestion Timing Affect Exercise-Induced Adaptations? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.
Rafael A Casuso1, Lennert Goossens2
1Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Calle Escritor Castilla Aguayo, 4, Poniente Sur, 14004 Córdoba, Spain.
Protein timing around exercise does not significantly impact lean body mass. While pre-exercise protein may enhance lower body strength, more research is needed for definitive conclusions on strength gains.
Area of Science:
- Exercise Physiology
- Nutritional Science
- Sports Medicine
Background:
- Muscle strength and mass are crucial for exercise performance and health.
- Previous meta-analyses suggested protein timing is irrelevant for muscle gains.
- These analyses did not directly compare pre- vs. post-exercise protein intake within studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To meta-analyze studies directly comparing protein intake before versus after exercise.
- To assess the impact of protein timing on muscle strength and lean body mass.
Main Methods:
- Searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases up to January 2024.
- Included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with at least 4 weeks of pre- or post-exercise protein intake.
- Performed random-effect meta-analysis on strength and lean body mass outcomes.
Main Results:
- No significant effect of protein timing on lean body mass (SMD: -0.08).
- No significant effect on chest press strength (SMD: 0.07).
- A trend suggested pre-exercise protein enhanced leg press strength (SMD: 0.70), but subgroup analysis lacked significance (p=0.07).
Conclusions:
- Protein timing has a minimal impact on exercise-induced lean body mass changes.
- Potential differential effects on upper and lower limb strength warrant further investigation.
- More research is needed to confirm the impact of protein timing on strength adaptations.
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