Study Published : July 7, 2020

On a gram for gram basis, animal proteins are more effective than plant proteins in supporting the maintenance of skeletal muscle mass with advancing age. Research presented at the The Physiological Society’s Future Physiology 2020 conference shows a larger dose of plant proteins is required to achieve a comparable response of building muscles.

Simply transitioning from an animal-based protein diet to a plant-based diet, without adjusting total protein intake, will likely to be detrimental to muscle health during ageing. A more balanced and less extreme approach to changing dietary behavior, meaning eating both animal and plant-based proteins, is BEST.    

It’s important to note that this research to date has only compared two plant–based protein sources, namely soy and wheat. The researchers in this field will be conducting further research on other promising plant proteins such as oat, quinoa and maize. 

Purpose of experiment: 

“This research challenges the broad viewpoint that plant proteins don’t help build muscles as much as animal protein by highlighting the potential of alternative plant-based protein sources to maintain the size and quality of ageing muscles.”

– Oliver Witard  

Source ;

https://www.physoc.org/news_article/soy-and-wheat-proteins-helpful-for-building-aging-muscles-but-not-as-potent-as-animal-protein/