How Often Should You Eat Protein?

For decades now, many bodybuilders have said that eating a serving of protein every few hours (4-to-6 times per day) is vital for gaining and even retaining muscle.

It’s not.

Research on the intermittent fasting style of dieting is an easy counterpoint. For example, one study found that eating the entire day’s worth of protein in a 4-hour window (followed by 20 hours of fasting) didn’t result in muscle loss. Similar results have been seen in several other studies as well.

The weight of the evidence is clear here:

Your muscle doesn’t wither if you miss a meal or fail to provide a continuous supply of essential amino acids. So long as you eat enough protein every day, you won’t lose muscle.

That said, there’s evidence that eating protein just 1-to-3 times per day isn’t optimal for building muscle.

In a study conducted by researchers at RMIT University, four servings of 20 grams of protein per day with three hours in between each produced significantly higher muscle protein synthesis rates than two servings of 40 grams separated by 6 hours.

In another study conducted by scientists at the University of Texas, protein synthesis was about 23 percent higher in people that ate three large meals containing 23 grams of protein plus three smaller meals containing 15 grams of essential amino acids compared to people that ate just three large meals alone.

Similar effects have been seen in athletes in a calorie deficit as well.

These findings aren’t surprising when you consider some of what we know about protein absorption and metabolism.

Namely . . .

The body can process about 7 grams of protein per hour for muscle protein synthesis.
30-ish grams of protein maximally stimulates muscle protein synthesis rates.
Muscle protein synthesis lasts for up to 3 hours.

Therefore, by eating a moderate amount of protein every few hours, you can keep protein synthesis rates elevated for most of your waking hours, and your body can use most of the amino acids provided for protein synthesis.