Meal Timing Effect on Muscle Protein Synthesis & Insulin Resistance

[nutsnbolts]

I would like to hear your views on meal timings (specifically frequency) effect on muscle protein synthesis and insulin resistance.

To stimulate muscle protein synthesis EAA's and specifically the amino acid leucine must reach a high enough concentration in your blood at which point muscle protein synthesis will remain active for only 2-3 hours despite levels of amino acids in the blood remaining above baseline, at this point ingesting further food to try and boost muscle protein synthesis is surely pointless because leucine has a refractory response and wont trigger/increase muscle protein synthesis again regardless of additional aminos from your next meal?

Point is that aminos are already above baseline but muscle protein synthesis is not active, therefore adding more food on top of an already high concentration of EAA's in the blood wont do anything for you?..

Therefore would it not make more sense to wait for EAA's concentration to drop back to baseline to then add more food and boost muscle protein synthesis again? Suggesting that eating larger meals every 5 hours or so is going to be more efficient at getting the job done than every 2-3 hours?

With this in mind, eating every 5 hours instead of 2-3 hours, got me thinking about insulin and specifically insulin resistance.

Eating every 2-3 hours surely puts you in a chronic state of elevated levels of insulin? as soon as it starts to drop off you are then eating again, raising insulin even though you are not going to get an extra hit of muscle protein synthesis. Would the constant influx of food and release of insulin not negatively impact your insulin sensitivity over time?

Surely a better approach from both a muscle protein synthesis and insulin sensitivity stand point would be to eat larger meals spread further across the day? Giving your body a chance to return back to baseline after you eat and then hit it again with more food to maximise muscle protein synthesis and insulin response?

Thanks

 

[sub7percent]

Interesting thought. Would like to hear some responses.


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[IsaacHaze1]

Surely a better approach from both a muscle protein synthesis and insulin sensitivity stand point would be to eat larger meals spread further across the day? Giving your body a chance to return back to baseline after you eat and then hit it again with more food to maximise muscle protein synthesis and insulin response?

Thanks

Many natural competitors do larger meals less often, ie 3-4 meals a day max. It gives you longer periods that insulin is "at rest". This enhances insulin sensitivity and protein synthesis, on paper, at least.

When you start getting into gear, gh, igf, peptides, etc, I think things change. Protein Synthesis is enhanced, and depending on the compound, glut 4 expression in the muscles are increased. Glycogen super compensation, etc. Basically, the rules change.

 

[goal245]

Being in a caloric surplus will lower insulin sensitivity, being in a caloric deficit will increase it regardless of how you spread the meals.

Having said that there are numerous studies that show there is no difference in terms of fat loss when eating 6 meals per day compared to 3 meals per day, the 3 meal per day group actually reported less hunger, but this is regular people not bodybuilders.

Eating just 1 meal per day does have a negative impact on insulin resistance and is the unhealthiest way to go.

You can easily find studies to the above