Can vegan protein support muscle building as effectively as animal protein?

When it comes to building muscle, animal protein is not the only option. Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

• New research has investigated whether a vegan diet with protein sourced from non-animal products could support muscle growth and repair as effectively as a diet that includes animal protein during strength training.
• The study involved young and healthy adults split into two groups, one consuming a high-protein animal-based diet and the other a high-protein non-animal-based diet.
• Results showed that both groups gained a similar amount of muscle mass and strength, indicating that a high-protein, non-animal-derived diet can be as effective as a diet that consists mainly of animal-derived protein sources, when paired with resistance training.

New research, published in the Journal of Nutrition, found that fungi-derived mycoprotein (Quorn) is just as effective at supporting muscle building during resistance training as animal protein.

The study included two parts. In the first part of the study, 16 young and healthy adults (eight men and eight women) were split into two groups.

Both groups did leg exercises every day, but one group (named OMNI1) ate a diet with high protein from animal sources while the other group (VEG1) ate a diet with high protein from non-animal sources.

The researchers measured how much muscle protein was made during exercise and at rest.

In the second part of the study, 22 young and healthy adults (11 men and 11 women) did a 10-week leg exercise program five days a week.

Some of them ate a high-protein diet from animal sources (OMNI2) and others ate a high-protein diet from non-animal sources (VEG2).

The research team measured the size of leg muscles, overall body muscle, muscle strength, and function before and after the program and at two and five weeks into it.

During the study, researchers found that exercising the legs increased the rate of muscle protein production by about 12% compared to when the legs were at rest.

Similar rates of muscle protein production

Both groups gained a similar amount of muscle mass and muscle fiber size, as well as increased muscle strength in various muscle groups, despite having different protein sources in their diets.

Medical News Today spoke to three independent experts, who were not involved in this research, to hear their perspectives on the study.

Stephanie Wells, a registered dietitian, said, “this paper adds to the growing body of evidence for the ability of some plant-based proteins to support muscle building as effectively as animal proteins like whey.”

However, Wells noted that the study did have some limitations, namely the lack of a control group and the small number of participants.

“Because of these limitations, we can’t know for sure whether or not similar results would be seen for the general population,” Wells noted.

“Since the study was in young adults, we also can’t be sure whether similar results would be seen for other groups like older adults. Race wasn’t reported, so we can’t make conclusions about whether results might vary depending on racial or ethnic background,” she added.

“This study adds to the growing amount of evidence for the effectiveness of plant-based protein for building muscle, although more research with high-quality study designs is needed. It may be encouraging for people who want to eat [fewer] animal products or transition to a plant-based diet for reasons of personal health, the environment, or animal welfare. It may also help dispel the common misconception that plant-based diets can’t provide enough protein for optimal health.”
— Stephanie Wells