A new study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that lean pork builds more muscle than high-fat pork after a workout, even if both contain the same amount of protein. More broadly, these results suggest that fat content and food processing may affect muscle synthesis.
The study had a crossover design and included 16 healthy, active adults. The participants completed several prescribed exercises at a gym, then they were given a meal of either a lean pork burger, a high-fat pork burger, or a carbohydrate drink as a control. Each meal was carefully crafted to ensure proper levels of fat, and a nutrient analysis was conducted by an external lab for each meal. Muscle biopsies and blood samples were taken for each participant before and after the workout and the meal. Using a technique involving an infusion of labelled amino acids, the researchers were able to measure and track muscle protein synthesis for each participant after the workout and meal. The goal of the study was to determine whether high-fat or low-fat meats are more optimal for muscle synthesis post-workout.
The results showed that the participants who consumed the low-fat pork burger after working out had a higher rate of muscle protein synthesis and higher levels of amino acids in the bloodstream compared to the participants who ate the high-fat pork burger or the carbohydrate drink.
The authors stated that these results were surprising; previous research has shown that fattier foods are more helpful for muscle synthesis following workouts. The results of this study should be interpreted cautiously, since it’s unclear if the processing of the high-fat pork burgers impacted digestion and muscle synthesis. For optimal muscular gains, the authors stressed that the strongest stimulus for gaining muscle is exercise, not nutrition. However, gains may be aided by eating whole, high-protein foods following exercise.
Sources: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Science Daily