Wheat protein and muscle building in young men
What it found
In 36 healthy young men, 30 g of wheat protein raised muscle protein synthesis just as much as 30 g of milk protein or a wheat plus milk blend.
All three increased muscle protein building over 5 hours.
What they found
Studies in people
Muscle protein synthesis
All three protein drinks increased muscle protein synthesis rates over the 5 hours.
Wheat vs milk
Muscle protein synthesis rates after 30 g wheat protein were not different from those after 30 g milk protein.
Blend vs milk
The blend of 15 g wheat plus 15 g milk protein gave muscle protein synthesis rates that did not differ from 30 g milk protein.
What the authors conclude
“ingestion of 30 g milk protein, 30 g wheat protein or a blend of 15 g wheat plus 15 g milk protein increases muscle protein synthesis rates in young males.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that ingesting 30 g milk protein, 30 g wheat protein, or a blend of 15 g wheat plus 15 g milk protein increases muscle protein synthesis rates in young males.
- They state that muscle protein synthesis rates after 30 g milk protein do not differ from rates after 30 g wheat protein or a blend with 15 g milk plus 15 g wheat protein in healthy, young males.
How it was done
Plant proteins have been suggested to be less anabolic than animal proteins. The authors wanted to see whether blending plant and animal proteins could make up for this.
36 healthy young males, average age 23, were randomly assigned to drink 30 g milk protein, 30 g wheat protein, or a 30 g blend of 15 g wheat plus 15 g milk protein. Blood and muscle samples were taken over 5 hours to measure muscle protein synthesis.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This trial only included healthy young males, so the results may not apply to other groups.
- It measured muscle protein synthesis over 5 hours, not longer-term muscle growth or strength.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Maastricht University Medical Centre+, The Netherlands; Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
The paper
- Title
- No differences in muscle protein synthesis rates following ingestion of wheat protein, milk protein, and their protein blend in healthy, young males
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Pinckaers PJM, Kouw IWK, Hendriks FK, et al (2021). No differences in muscle protein synthesis rates following ingestion of wheat protein, milk protein, and their protein blend in healthy, young males. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1017/S0007114521000635PubMed 33597056DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error