James Mckendry

The idea comes from early studies showing that eating more than 25 to 30 grams of high-quality protein in one meal didn't produce much additional muscle building compared with eating less.

The claim that the body can't use more than 30 grams at a time is a bit of an oversimplification, says James McKendry, a nutrition researcher at the University of British Columbia.

A 2023 study in Cell Reports Medicine found that meals with up to 100 grams of protein kept muscle building activity going for hours.

Whether that is bigger and longer than consuming the same amount of protein split up through the day hasn't been tested yet.