Protein With Meals May be Better for Weight Loss

Protein supplements are often used both to gain muscle and lose weight. A recent study suggests that consuming protein supplements with meals may be more effective for weight loss than consuming protein supplements between meals in people who are completing resistance training.

For their analysis, researchers from Purdue University examined 34 randomized controlled trials with 59 intervention groups. The researchers defined with-meal ingestion of protein as consumption of a dietary protein-rich supplement immediately after a meal, with a meal, or as a high-protein meal replacement. They defined between-meal ingestion of protein as consumption of a dietary protein supplement either very near a workout or during another non-mealtime.

They found that consuming protein supplements with meals versus between meals was associated with 56% vs. 72% increase in body mass, a 94% vs. 90% increase in lean mass, an 87% vs. 59% reduction in fat mass, and a 100% vs. 84% increased ratio of lean to fat mass over time, respectively.

The study was published on April 25, 2018, in Nutrition Reviews.

Protein functions as a building block for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. It is also a building block for enzymes, hormones, and vitamins. Previous studies suggest that consuming high amounts of protein may help build muscle and increase metabolism.