According to conventional (science-backed, mind you) advice, the two most important times of day to drink a protein shake for the best results are first thing in the morning and directly after training.
However, more recent research suggests that protein supplement timing might be more nuanced than that, with your goals the ultimate determining factor in this answer.
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Timing your protein intake
There are various scientific rationales that support the different approaches to protein supplement timing.
When drinking a protein supplement to build and repair muscle or improve body composition, it is generally best to consume a protein supplement between meals, particularly after weight training to support muscle repair and growth.
A key reason for this is your heightened insulin sensitivity, which occurs in response to exercise, especially weight training.
Exercising against resistance causes damage to muscle tissue, which makes cells more receptive to amino acids from the protein you eat and drink. Exercise also lowers circulating blood sugar levels.
This combination of factors increases insulin sensitivity in your muscle cells as this powerful hormone is the key to unlocking access to your muscle cells for amino acids and glucose. Similarly, our bodies are highly insulin sensitive in the morning (this sensitivity declines as the day progresses).
A potential third option
However, a systematic review conducted by researchers from Purdue University delivered various interesting insights into the effectiveness of protein supplement timing.
The researchers looked at the effects of protein supplements consumed with meals versus between meals on resistance training–induced body composition changes in adults. What they found may have profound implications for those looking to tone up and shed more body fat.
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A shake with meals
According to this research, the best time to sip on your favourite protein shake may depend on your goals. The research team found that supplement timing “differentially influenced body composition responses”.
For instance, drinking a protein shake between meals may decrease compensatory eating behaviours, but this approach seems to increase your total energy intake and, therefore, could lead to weight gain.
Conversely, consuming a protein supplement twice a day with meals seemed to help study participants who performed resistance training adjust their energy intake – what the researchers refer to as energy compensation.
As a result, these participants consistently decreased body fat in the studies under review. They also showed a consistent increase in lean mass, which suggests they added muscle as well. In contrast, those who consumed protein supplements between meals in the studies under review had inconsistent effects on fat mass.
The researchers suggested that “consuming protein supplements with meals may lead to partial meal replacement that would displace the energy that would be consumed otherwise.”
As such, they concluded that: “Concurrently with resistance training, consuming protein supplements with meals, rather than between meals, may more effectively promote weight control and reduce fat mass without influencing improvements in lean mass.”
Shake for a lean physique
Ultimately, adding a protein shake to your daily diet regimen will help your body recover and add more muscle in response to weight training, regardless of when you drink it in relation to meals.
The key message from this study is that you can achieve subtle differences in body composition by shifting the timing of your shakes.
For those looking to improve their conditioning by adding lean muscle and reducing body fat, the research findings suggest that consuming your protein supplements with meals is the most effective approach.
For those who have achieved their fat loss goals and want to support muscle growth and recovery, the conventional approach of a post-workout shake is still effective.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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