Wheat protein and muscle building in healthy older men
What it found
A 35 g serving of wheat protein built less muscle than the same amount of casein in healthy older men.
A larger 60 g serving of wheat protein did increase muscle building.
What they found
Studies in people
Amino acids in blood
After drinking 35 g of whey protein, essential amino acids in the blood rose more than after 35 g of casein or 35 g of wheat protein hydrolysate. The rise was 2.23 mM for whey, 1.53 mM for casein, and 1.50 mM for wheat protein hydrolysate.
Muscle building at 35 g
Casein raised muscle protein building rates above resting levels, reaching 0.050% per hour. The same 35 g amount of wheat protein hydrolysate led to a lower rate of 0.032% per hour.
Intact versus broken-down wheat
Breaking down the wheat protein before drinking it made no difference to amino acid levels in the blood or to muscle building rates. Both forms worked about the same in these men.
Larger wheat protein dose
Drinking 60 g of wheat protein hydrolysate raised muscle building rates above resting levels, reaching 0.049% per hour. This happened even though peak leucine in the blood was lower than after 35 g of whey protein, at 378 compared with 580 micromoles per litre.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that 35 g of casein builds more muscle protein than the same amount of wheat protein in healthy older men.
- They note that drinking a larger 60 g serving of wheat protein substantially raises muscle protein building rates.
- They suggest mixing plant proteins with dairy proteins could be a practical way to support muscle maintenance.
How it was done
Plant proteins make up a large share of what people eat, but scientists think they may build less muscle than animal proteins. Wheat protein is one of the most common plant proteins in our diet, yet few studies had tested how it affects muscle building in people.
Sixty healthy older men with an average age of 71 years took part in a randomised trial. Each man drank a single serving of either 35 g wheat protein, 35 g wheat protein hydrolysate, 35 g casein, 35 g whey protein, or 60 g wheat protein hydrolysate. Researchers took blood and small muscle samples over four hours to measure amino acids and muscle protein building.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial only included healthy older men, so the results may not apply to women or younger people.
- It measured the response to a single drink, so it cannot show what happens when wheat protein is eaten every day over weeks or months.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Netherlands
The paper
- Title
- Ingestion of Wheat Protein Increases In Vivo Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Healthy Older Men in a Randomized Trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Gorissen SH, Horstman AM, Franssen R, et al (2016). Ingestion of Wheat Protein Increases In Vivo Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates in Healthy Older Men in a Randomized Trial. The Journal of nutrition. doi:10.3945/jn.116.231340Free full textPubMed 27440260DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error