ReviewClinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland)2018
Update on maximal anabolic response to dietary protein.
Review in Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effect of 3 Different Daily Protein Intakes in a 2-Meal Eating Pattern on Protein Turnover in Middle Age and Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.The Journal of nutrition · 2025Trial
- A higher protein intake at breakfast and lunch is associated with a higher total daily protein intake in older adults: a post-hoc cross-sectional analysis of four randomised controlled trials.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2021Trial
- Essential amino acid-enriched whey enhances post-exercise whole-body protein balance during energy deficit more than iso-nitrogenous whey or a mixed-macronutrient meal: a randomized, crossover study.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Anabolic response to essential amino acid plus whey protein composition is greater than whey protein alone in young healthy adults.Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2020Trial
- Preserved anabolic threshold and capacity as estimated by a novel stable tracer approach suggests no anabolic resistance or increased requirements in weight stable COPD patients.Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2019Trial
- Review
- Perinatal consumption of a thermally processed diet alters feeding behavior and has sex-dependent effects upon metabolism in later life in mice.Food chemistry. Molecular sciences · 2026Article
- "Why would I need more?": How age shapes UK consumers' perceptions of dietary protein and responses to educational interventions.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Understanding Dietary Protein Quality: Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Scores and Beyond.The Journal of nutrition · 2025Review
- Sex differences in skeletal muscle metabolism in exercise and type 2 diabetes mellitus.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2025Review
- Distribution of daily protein intake and appendicular skeletal muscle mass in healthy free-living Chinese older adults.European journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Post-prandial tracer studies of protein and amino acid utilisation: what can they tell us about human amino acid and protein requirements?The British journal of nutrition · 2024Review
- Consideration of the role of protein quality in determining dietary protein recommendations.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Review
- Tracing metabolic flux in vivo: motion pictures differ from snapshots.Experimental & molecular medicine · 2022Article
- Tracing metabolic flux to assess optimal dietary protein and amino acid consumption.Experimental & molecular medicine · 2022Review
- Dietary Essential Amino Acid Intake Is Associated with High Muscle Strength in Korean Older Adults.Nutrients · 2022Article
- Article
- Equivalent servings of free-range reindeer promote greater net protein balance compared to commercial beef.International journal of circumpolar health · 2021Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The anabolic response to dietary protein can be defined as the difference between protein synthesis and breakdown, or the net protein balance, in response to ingestion of protein alone or a mixed meal containing protein. Others have concluded that a maximal anabolic response can be achieved with ingestion of 20-35 g of a high quality protein, leading to the formulation of a popular concept that the maximal anabolic response can be achieved by distributing the total protein intake evenly throughout the day, rather than eating a majority of dietary protein with dinner. However, this concept was based entirely on the measurement of muscle protein synthesis and thus ignored the potential contributions of suppression of protein breakdown to the anabolic response, as well as the possibility that tissues and organs other than muscle may also play a role in the anabolic response. In this review we discuss the factors comprising the total anabolic response, discuss relevant methodological issues, derive a theoretical maximal anabolic response based on current literature values, and interpret recent papers addressing the issue of maximal anabolic response as well as meal distribution of dietary protein. We conclude that it is not likely that there is a practical limit to the maximal anabolic response to a single meal, and the most efficient way in which to maximize the total anabolic response over a 24-h period is to increase dietary protein at breakfast and lunch without reducing protein intake with dinner.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.