## Highlights - Limiting Amino Acids in Plant-Based Proteins and Muscle Protein Synthesis Key takeaways: - Plant-based proteins often lack certain essential amino acids, such as lysine, methionine, and leucine. - Leucine plays a unique role in triggering muscle protein synthesis. - An increase in leucine in the blood indicates a well-balanced meal for muscle protein synthesis. - Protein synthesis occurs continuously in the liver and is essential for survival. - Muscle protein synthesis only occurs when there is an adequate meal, known as an anabolic response to a meal. Transcript: Speaker 2 And so I think one of the research you found, I've read this other place, is that part of the problem with plant-based proteins is that they don't have enough of a particular type of amino Acid that helps kickstart proteins in this, is correct? Speaker 1 Right. Of those nine essential amino acids, there are three that we often say are limiting in plants. And those three are lysine, methionine, and leucine. Of those three, one that I've studied a lot is called leucine. And what we discovered was that leucine has a very unusual role in triggering muscle protein synthesis. For reasons we don't fully understand, the body has evolved to recognize the increase in leucine and the blood as a indicator that the meal was well enough balance to trigger muscle Protein synthesis. Another way to sort of think about that is in the liver, you have to be making proteins 24 hours a day. If you're not making them in the middle of the night, you're going to die. I mean, you just have to be making them same with the brain or the heart. In muscle, we only do it when we have a meal that is adequate. We call it an anabolic response to a meal. [(Time 0:08:33)](https://share.snipd.com/snip/0e9601b1-af33-4ac7-81a4-4be1619958f5) - notes:: Leucine supplement for protein synthesis trigger - Optimal protein distribution throughout the day Key takeaways: - The first meal of the day should have 35 grams of protein to kickstart protein synthesis. - Having a larger meal with 50-60 grams of protein later in the day is important. - For bodybuilders, having a fourth meal with protein before bedtime can be beneficial. - Normal healthy adults should aim for at least two meals with protein amounts above 35 grams. - Individuals trying to gain muscle mass should have at least three or possibly four meals with protein. Transcript: Speaker 2 So you mentioned to kickstart protein synthesis with that first meal, you'd have 35 grams of protein. Is there any other research about distribution of protein throughout the day? So beyond that first meal, does it matter how you distribute your protein? Speaker 1 It doesn't really seem to. There's pretty good data that having a larger meal later in the day is important. So like a dinner meal that has maybe 50, 60 grams of protein. And there's a little bit of research. Look Van Loon in the Netherlands has shown that for individuals, again, interested in bodybuilding, having a fourth meal before bedtime, sort of shortening that. So typically a lot of people will have their dinner at seven and then a breakfast at seven. So they're going 12 hours without protein coming in. So having another protein intake at like 10 before bed is something that bodybuilders will often adopt. So typically we always try and tell people that if you're a normal healthy adult, try and get two meals at least your breakfast and dinner where the protein amount is above 35 grams. If you're trying to gain muscle mass, you should have at least three meals and possibly even four. So meal distribution takes on again a little different look depending on what your personal goals are. [(Time 0:44:35)](https://share.snipd.com/snip/ad551bd6-443b-466d-bc8e-82d2330b4d04) - Optimal protein intake for weight loss and bodybuilding Key takeaways: - Below 100 grams of protein per day is not enough for optimal protein intake for adults. - For weight loss and calorie restriction, targeting 100 to 120 grams of protein per day is recommended. - Distributing protein intake across multiple meals is beneficial, especially for bodybuilders. - Protein plays a role in protecting muscle during weight management. - Yo-yo dieting is a concern when it comes to weight loss and protein intake. Transcript: Speaker 2 Okay. And so yeah, this would be below like if you're an adult male or female, that's not enough protein for like optimal. Yeah. Speaker 1 So if you're trying to do weight loss, if you're trying to restrict your calories, most of those people will probably be targeting 100 to 120 grams of protein per day. Distributing in that and two meals of 55 grams is probably okay. But if you're trying to be a bodybuilder with 200 grams per day, putting 100 in each meal is a really bad idea. You need to distribute that across three or four meals to optimize the effect. Speaker 2 Speaking of weight management, is there any benefit of protein when it comes to weight management? We've done a lot of research on that. Speaker 1 And so two ways to think about it. One is we want enough protein to protect muscle. One of the problems of weight loss is what we call yo-yo dieting. [(Time 0:47:26)](https://share.snipd.com/snip/f6205493-ab44-4137-bd0f-f5b4464bfc5f) - The Protein Leverage Hypothesis and the Impact of Dietary Changes on Obesity Key takeaways: - The protein leverage hypothesis suggests that all animals, including humans, eat towards a protein target of around 16-17% of calories. - In the mid-1980s, there was a sudden increase in obesity in the United States and one contributing factor was the development of the food guide pyramid. - The food guide pyramid advised reducing animal products and increasing grain products to reduce cholesterol and saturated fat, which resulted in a dilution of nutrient density in the diet. - As a result of the dilution of protein in the diet, adults had to consume significantly more calories to meet their protein target. Transcript: Speaker 1 Yeah. So Steve Simpson in Australia is a nutritional anthropologist. He's actually a pretty good friend. He basically looked at the diet of humans, but basically all animal species. And he realized that basically all animals eat toward a protein target. And it's around 16, 17% of calories. And what his concept was, we look back in time and we realized that in the mid 1980s, all of a sudden we see this epidemic increase in obesity in the United States. And we start wondering why. And one of the things that happened at that point is people were so afraid of cholesterol and saturated fat, we developed what was called the food guide pyramid. And the food guide pyramid said, eat a lot less animal products because that's the way you reduce cholesterol and saturated fat and eat a lot more grain products. What that did was dilute out the nutrient density of the diet. People ate 40% more calories from grains. We diluted the protein down. And so the protein leverage hypothesis is that for adults to get to the protein target, they had to eat a lot more calories. [(Time 0:50:16)](https://share.snipd.com/snip/20c72326-cac4-4a2f-8593-efcbf5b24140) - notes:: Obesity fmore from snacking than meals