MPS refractory period

Nutrition Q&A [Moderated]
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So before a few days ago (reading this site) I hadn’t heard of the muscle protein synthesis (MPS) refractory period. It kind of sounded like BS but after doing some additional googling I see other articles and studies citing it. Learned something new, cool. Here’s Jordan’s article which brings it up, btw:

…but back to the refractory period. Knowing that it takes 3-5 hours to be able to trigger a new session of MPS, I see the recommendation to space out meals of protein intake accordingly. Makes sense. But two questions:

  1. Do folks still ingest a protein shake before a workout to prevent catabolism, and then again after a workout since this is when we’re most sensitive to MPS? Assuming 1-2 hour workouts, well under the 3-5 refractory period.

  2. Is any stock placed into this Galveston study about pulsing liquid amino acids between meals?
    Another group of researchers from Galveston sought to hack the system. They wanted to see if pulsing liquid amino acids (along with carbohydrates) between meals elicited more net protein synthesis compared to just eating a few solid meals throughout the day. Over the course of the 16-hour research period, study participants alternated between a whole-food meal and an amino acid/carbohydrate drink every 2.5 hours.
    The researchers found that by pulsing the amino acids between meals, they were able to increase protein synthesis without hindering the anabolic effects of the actual meals. So by interspersing or pulsing amino acids between meals you can, at some level, get around the refractory period to further enhance anabolism during the day.

…I find this stuff fascinating but waver between thinking it’s important vs just the sort of mental masturbation a software guy like me chooses to obsess on.

Cheers!

1 Like
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This is a misunderstanding. It takes about 2.5-3 hours to complete the refractory period. If you wait longer then you’re fine, but if you space your meals out > 5 hours then you’re eating less frequently, which may not be ideal for some.

No reason to do this unless the shakes are your meals.

Eh, it’s just not a big enough difference to be meaningful. At present, it doesn’t look like pulsing aminos between meals is a useful strategy if someone is eating a lot of dietary protein.

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Ah great, thanks. I picked up the 3-5 refractory period from your 2014 article (“there’s a 3-5 hour refractory period that must transpire before another dose of protein”) , but sounds like you’re leaning to 3 hours.

Yeah I don’t think I’ll worry about AA pulsing, there are more impactful things in my training to focus on.