There are many stories of athletes eating huge amounts of meat to get sufficient protein for “optimum muscle development”. On the other hand, elderly people often eat poorly and have reduced muscle mass.

To try to estimate how much protein is helpful, both young (average 34 years) and old people (average 68 years) were given either a 113g serving of meat (containing 30g of protein) or a large 340g serving (90g of protein) in a meal. The study by researchers at the University of Kentucky then tested the effects on muscle over the next five hours, using blood samples and muscle biopsies.

Muscle protein formation was increased by 50% in both the young and the old participants after eating the 113g serving. However, the bigger portion of meat (and protein) had no greater effect.

Thus, a modest serving of meat is just as good in enhancing muscle growth as a much larger one. This reinforces the view that while lean meat is a valuable part of our diet (especially because of its iron content), it does not need to be eaten in large amounts.

Any reduced muscle mass in the elderly might be due to a low protein diet, but is just as likely to be due to insufficient exercise.

Source: Symons TB, et al.  J Am Diet Assoc 2009 Sep; 109(9): 1582-6.

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Originally posted in January 2010. everybody Nutrition News items are selected from a wide range of journals, bulletins and nutrition information sources worldwide and summarised by Professor John Birkbeck, Institute of Food Nutrition and Human Health, Massey University. The opinions contained herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of the publisher or sponsor. Copyright UBM Medica (NZ) Ltd.