Ingestion of 20 g Whey or Canola Protein Does Not Further Increase Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates During Recovery From Resistance Exercise In Healthy, Young Females

Oct 16, 2025The Journal of nutrition

Eating 20 g of Whey or Canola Protein Does Not Increase Muscle Building After Exercise in Healthy Young Women

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Abstract

Ingestion of 20 g whey protein or native canola protein does not further increase muscle protein synthesis rates after exercise in young females.

Plasma essential amino acid concentrations increased significantly after ingesting both whey and canola protein compared to a placebo.
Peak plasma essential amino acid levels were 2113 ± 354 μmol/L for whey, 1249 ± 173 μmol/L for canola, and 780 ± 60 μmol/L for placebo.
Whey protein resulted in greater postprandial plasma essential amino acid availability than canola protein.
No significant differences in muscle protein synthesis rates were found among the whey, canola protein, and placebo groups after exercise.
A single session of resistance exercise strongly increases muscle protein synthesis rates in young females.

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BACKGROUND: Protein ingestion during recovery from exercise can further increase muscle protein synthesis rates. Plant-derived proteins are generally believed to have lesser anabolic properties than animal-derived proteins. To our knowledge, no studies have compared the impact of plant-derived with that of animal-derived protein ingestion on postexercise muscle protein synthesis rates in healthy, young females.

OBJECTIVES: This study compared muscle protein synthesis rates following the ingestion of 20 g native canola protein, 20 g whey protein, or a noncaloric placebo during recovery from a single bout of resistance exercise in healthy, young females.

METHODS: In this randomly assigned, parallel group, double-blind placebo-controlled design, 36 healthy young (age, 23 ± 4 y; BMI, 22.7 ± 2.2 kg/m) females performed 8 sets of lower-body resistance exercise at 80% of their predetermined 1-repetition maximum after which they ingested 20 g native canola protein isolate, 20 g whey protein isolate, or a noncaloric placebo. Primed continuous L-[ring-C]-phenylalanine infusions were applied with frequent sampling of blood and muscle tissue to assess postprandial plasma amino acid profiles and 5-h postexercise muscle protein synthesis rates. Data are presented as mean ± SD. 2 13 6

RESULTS: Plasma essential amino acid concentrations strongly increased following ingestion of both whey and canola protein when compared with the placebo treatment (peak: 2113 ± 354, 1249 ± 173, and 780 ± 60 μmol/L, respectively; P < 0.001) with greater postprandial plasma essential amino acid availability following whey than after canola protein ingestion (incremental AUC, 158 ± 50 and 90 ± 23 mmol/L × 5 h; P < 0.001). No significant differences in postexercise muscle protein synthesis rates were observed following the ingestion of whey protein isolate, canola protein isolate, and placebo (0.071 ± 0.015, 0.069 ± 0.016, and 0.061 ± 0.013%/h, respectively; treatment; P = 0.200).

CONCLUSIONS: A single session of resistance exercise strongly increases muscle protein synthesis rates in young females. Ingestion of 20 g whey or native canola protein does not further augment muscle protein synthesis rates during the early stages of postexercise recovery in healthy, young females. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT05664269.

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Ingestion of 20 g Whey or Canola Protein Does Not Further Increase Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates During Recovery From Resistance Exercise In Healthy, Young Females

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