Protein Intake Greater than the RDA Differentially Influences Whole-Body Lean Mass Responses to Purposeful Catabolic and Anabolic Stressors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
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Under stressful conditions such as energy restriction (ER) and physical activity, the RDA for protein of 0.8 g · kg-1 · d-1 may no longer be an appropriate recommendation. Under catabolic or anabolic conditions, higher protein intakes are proposed to attenuate the loss or increase the gain of whole-body lean mass, respectively. No known published meta-analysis compares protein intakes greater than the RDA with intakes at the RDA. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effects of protein intakes greater than the RDA, compared with at the RDA, on changes in whole-body lean mass. Three researchers independently screened 1520 articles published through August 2018 using the PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases, with additional articles identified in published systematic review articles. Randomized, controlled, parallel studies ≥6 wk long with apparently healthy adults (≥19 y) were eligible for inclusion. Data from 18 studies resulting in 22 comparisons of lean mass changes were included in the final overall analysis. Among all comparisons, protein intakes greater than the RDA benefitted changes in lean mass relative to consuming the RDA [weighted mean difference (95% CI): 0.32 (0.01, 0.64) kg, n = 22 comparisons]. In the subgroup analyses, protein intakes greater than the RDA attenuated lean mass loss after ER [0.36 (0.06, 0.67) kg, n = 14], increased lean mass after resistance training (RT) [0.77 (0.23, 1.31) kg, n = 3], but did not differentially affect changes in lean mass [0.08 (-0.59, 0.75) kg, n = 7] under nonstressed conditions (no ER + no RT). Protein intakes greater than the RDA beneficially influenced changes in lean mass when adults were purposefully stressed by the catabolic stressor of dietary ER with and without the anabolic stressor of RT. The RDA for protein is adequate to support lean mass in adults during nonstressed states. This review was registered at www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero as CRD 42018106532.
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In the absence of RET, protein intakes greater than the RDA did not induce significant changes in lean mass over time.
“In the absence of RET, it has been shown that protein intakes greater than the RDA did not induce significant changes in lean mass over time [59].”
From Animal Protein versus Plant Protein in Supporting Lean Mass and Muscle Strength: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2021) · cites this paper as [59]
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- Authors
- Hudson, J. L., Wang, Y., Bergia III, R. E., & Campbell, W. W.
- Affiliations
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Corresponding author
- Campbell, Wayne W
- Venue
- Advances in Nutrition
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2020-05
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 548-558
- ISSN
- 2156-5376 (ISSN-L)
- 2161-8313
- PMC
- PMC7231581
- OpenAlex
- W2993534016
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 6
- FWCI
- 0.61
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Advances in Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Muscle metabolism and nutrition
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Nutrition and Health in Aging
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Keywords
- protein intake, protein requirements, RDA, lean body mass, muscle mass, caloric restriction, resistance training, catabolic stress, muscle protein synthesis, muscle protein degradation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Body Composition, Dietary Proteins, Humans, Resistance Training
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