If you’re into bodybuilding, you probably consider your calories, carbs, fat, and protein very important. When talking about protein, many bodybuilders like to point out one simple law – the more muscle mass you have, the more protein you need. However, recent research seems to undermine these claims and show that the amount of protein you need doesn’t significantly change depending on your muscle mass.
So, do muscular men need more protein?
Current Recommendations
Your daily protein intake largely depends on your fitness goals – that is undisputable. If you’re looking to build muscle mass quickly, you’ll need more protein than someone looking to lose weight. The Current recommendation for sedentary men is 0.8g of protein for every kilogram of body weight.
For more active people like bodybuilders, this number goes up to one gram per pound. However, while some studies confirm this claim, other find that eating more than 0.8 grams per pound has no effect. Both studies agree in one thing – the more you weigh, the more protein you need.
New Research Results
One recent study, however, found that this may not necessarily be true. The scientists from the University of Stirling, Scotland found explored whether more muscular men need more protein and reached an interesting discovery.
The researchers split the participants into two groups – one whose lean body mass was lower than 65 kilograms and one with the lean body mass of 70 kg or more. They found no difference between the two groups, although they did find that consuming 40 grams (as opposed to 20) showed better results in both groups.
Final Word
The theory that muscular men need more protein seems to be a myth. Although more protein means more muscle, the amount of protein a person need doesn’t change significantly with their size.
