<p><a href="https://peterattiamd.com/donlayman/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220926-pod-donlayman&utm_content=220926-pod-donlayman-podfeed"> View the Show Notes Page for This Episode</a></p> <p><a href="https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220926-pod-donlayman&utm_content=220926-pod-donlayman-podfeed"> Become a Member to Receive Exclusive Content</a></p> <p><a href="https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter/?utm_source=podcast-feed&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=220926-pod-donlayman&utm_content=220926-pod-donlayman-podfeed"> Sign Up to Receive Peter's Weekly Newsletter</a></p> <p>Don Layman is a Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has spent the past 40 years investigating the role of dietary protein in muscle protein synthesis. In this episode, Don describes how his decades of research have shaped his thinking around protein, muscle, anabolic factors, metabolism, and more. He explains the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein: what it is, how it came about, and how it should serve only as a guide for the minimum protein necessary for survival rather than as an optimal level of protein intake. He provides an overview of the essential amino acids, explains the nuances of animal versus plant protein, and provides insights for determining protein quality, absorption rates, and how to best track your intake. He discusses the ideal timing of protein intake in relation to resistance exercise, how protein should be distributed among meals, and how limitations in protein utilization per sitting can impact those practicing time-restricted eating. Additionally, Don shares results from his clinical trials, including how a high-protein diet fared in terms of fat loss, and explains the differences in protein utilization between adolescents and adults and how the problem of reduced efficiency of protein utilization in older adults can be overcome.</p> <p>We discuss:</p> <ul> <li>Don's background: from growing up on a farm to studying nutritional biochemistry [2:30];</li> <li>Don's philosophy on nutrition, muscle, and metabolism [6:30];</li> <li>The controversial relationship between saturated fat and atherosclerosis [18:15];</li> <li>The basics of protein and amino acids [25:45];</li> <li>Origin and limitations of the current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein intake [32:15];</li> <li>Protein sources: determining quality, absorption rates, and how to track intake [41:15];</li> <li>Leucine, lysine, and methionine: three important essential amino acids [48:00];</li> <li>The vital role of ruminant animals in the production of quality protein [53:15];</li> <li>The differing needs and impacts of dietary protein for a 16-year old compared to a 65-year old [59:30];</li> <li>Consequences of protein deficiency in childhood [1:06:30];</li> <li>Muscle protein synthesis: ideal timing, small meals vs. big meals, and more [1:12:45];</li> <li>Protein needs of children [1:19:45];</li> <li>How important is timing protein intake around training? [1:24:15];</li> <li>The role of leucine in fatty acid oxidation by muscle [1:28:15];</li> <li>High protein diets for fat loss: Results from Don's clinical trials [1:31:30];</li> <li>Influence of industry funding on nutrition studies [1:43:45];</li> <li>Don's thoughts on plant-based and synthetic "meats" [1:48:45];</li> <li>Problems with epidemiological studies of dietary protein [1:56:30];</li> <li>More.</li> </ul> <p>Connect With Peter on <a href="https://twitter.com/PeterAttiaMD">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peterattiamd/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/peterattiamd/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8kGsMa0LygSX9nkBcBH1Sg">YouTube</a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Adopt Muscle-Centric Nutrition
Focus your nutrition around keeping skeletal muscle healthy, as strong muscle helps prevent obesity, diabetes, and cancer by improving metabolic and functional health.
2. Protein as Absolute Goal
Prioritize protein intake as an absolute number (grams per day), not a percentage of calories, because protein needs remain high even when reducing total caloric intake for weight loss or in older age.
3. Adult Protein Intake Target
Aim for approximately 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily to optimize muscle protein synthesis and support overall health in adults.
4. Front-Load Morning Protein
Consume at least 30-40 grams of protein (ideally 45g) at your first meal after an overnight fast to stimulate muscle protein synthesis and prevent muscle catabolism, as the mTOR signal is downregulated until sufficient leucine is consumed.
5. Distribute Protein Across Meals
Distribute your daily protein intake across at least two, and ideally three or four, main meals, with each containing 35 grams or more to maximize anabolic response and muscle protein synthesis.
6. Protein-Sparing Weight Loss
When losing weight, prioritize higher protein intake (e.g., 1.6 g/kg/day) to preserve lean muscle mass, increase satiety, and benefit from protein’s thermogenic effect, which helps partition weight loss towards fat.
7. Focus on Key Amino Acids
Pay attention to the content of methionine, lysine, and especially leucine in your protein sources, as these are critical for adult muscle health and protein synthesis signaling.
8. Plant-Based Protein Needs
If following a plant-based diet, consume a higher total amount of protein (e.g., 125 grams/day) to compensate for lower quality and bioavailability of plant-based amino acids and ensure adequate essential amino acid intake.
9. Evening Protein Intake
Ensure your last meal of the day also includes a substantial amount of protein (30-40 grams or more) to support muscle protein synthesis and recovery overnight.
10. Avoid Protein Dribbling
Do not consume protein in very small, frequent amounts (e.g., 15 grams per meal) as this is insufficient to stimulate muscle protein synthesis in adults, though it may support other organs.
11. Protect Muscle Post-40
Be vigilant about maintaining muscle mass after age 40, as acute losses from injury or inactivity are harder to regain; prioritize weight training and adequate protein to mitigate this decline.
12. Post-Exercise Protein (Beginners)
If you are new to resistance training, consume a significant protein bolus within a two-hour window after your workout to maximize the anabolic response, as muscle is in a catabolic state post-exercise.
13. Post-Exercise Protein (Trained)
For well-trained individuals, immediate post-exercise protein timing is less critical; focus on consistent daily protein intake distributed across main meals, as the anabolic effect can extend for 24-36 hours.
14. Calories Drive Weight Management
Understand that total calorie intake is the primary determinant of weight management; while macronutrient ratios are important, excess calories are the fundamental problem leading to fat deposition.
15. Cycle mTOR Activation
Avoid continuously activating mTOR with frequent small carbohydrate meals, as this can be detrimental to non-muscle tissues like the liver; instead, use specific, protein-rich meals to activate muscle-centric mTOR.
16. Question Nutrition Dogma
Maintain a critical perspective on established nutritional theories, as scientific understanding evolves and older dogmas (e.g., total cholesterol and saturated fat) may prove incorrect or incomplete.
17. Fewer Meals, More Thermogenesis
Consider that consuming fewer, larger meals per day may offer a thermogenic advantage, potentially leading to more calories wasted as heat, compared to eating many small meals.
18. Nitrogen Balance Underestimates Needs
Be aware that the nitrogen balance method, historically used to set protein RDAs, often underestimates actual protein requirements due to inherent difficulties in accurately measuring all nitrogen losses from the body.
19. Scrutinize Protein Labels
Be critical of protein content listed on food labels, as these figures often overestimate absorbable protein by not accounting for bioavailability or amino acid quality, especially in plant-based products.
20. Contextualize ‘High Protein’ Studies
When interpreting epidemiological studies on ‘high protein’ diets, recognize that their definition of ‘high protein’ is often quite low (e.g., 1.2 g/kg) and may be confounded by other dietary factors like total calories.
21. Beware Deceptive Food Nomenclature
Advocate for accurate food nomenclature, especially for plant-based alternatives (e.g., ’nut juice’ instead of ’nut milk’), to prevent misleading consumers about nutritional content and quality.
22. ‘Egg in Company’ Principle
Evaluate the health impact of individual foods (e.g., eggs) within their broader dietary context, as negative associations in epidemiology often stem from unhealthy food pairings rather than the food itself.