Today we return to a short article at T-Nation based on a study from 2017 on whole eggs vs. egg whites as a post-workout meal and its effect on ‘muscle protein synthesis.’
Once upon a time, I have to admit that I was very much into the whole para-workout nutrition thing, as I experimented a lot among both my clients who were willing to try new ideas, and other lifters that I recruited through field studies. In all simplicity, we as elite-level coaches chased every advantage we could find to implement on our competing athletes, whether they were bodybuilders, strongmen, martial artists, ice-hockey players, or track and field athletes. I began this research in 2005 and implemented several workout-nutrition strategies in my first books from 2007 and 2008, and when I teamed up with my friend Fredrik Boson (former Carlsson,) in 2006, we implemented it on our competition team and later into the Talent Hunt Project (2008 to 2011,) where we coached and sponsored complete beginners for 6 months to have them enter their first competition. And in 2015, I released the book “Träningsnutrition” in Swedish, and also “The Anabolic Pulse Protocol” which covered all aspects of pre- and post-workout nutrition and that of stimulating muscle protein synthesis.
And, yeah, timing nutrients before, during, and after exercise helps a little bit in recovery and may speed-up muscle gain a tiny bit. But does it really matter in the big picture, and will it matter for the average gymrat simply wanting to put on some muscle or get that six pack? Likely not. And even if the results came a little quicker, as in gaining a pound of muscle in four weeks instead of five, was it worth the hassle or the cost of all the supplements? Again, likely not. Not unless you’re a sponsored professional athlete.
Anyhow, let’s see what Chris Shugart of T-Nation had to say, and I’ll chime in along the way with my perspective on this industry that I used to work in at the absolute elite-level for over 20 years. And note that this is an article aimed at the average musclehead, the average gym-goer who want to be a bit bigger and stay in shape (and some who might want to compete at an amateur level.)
“The more muscle protein synthesis you trigger, the better.”
If your only goal is to put on as much muscle mass as possible, then yes. And with that said, training hard and also getting big will shorten your lifespan and most likely reduce the quality of life as you grow older. I covered that in my articles, “Exercise, Accelerated Ageing, and Life Expectancy,” and “How Not to Do Research: Extreme Exercise and Lifespan.”
Now, if you still want to pursuit an overly muscular physique, or perhaps you want to compete in bodybuilding, and you are at peace with the costs of such pursuits, then sure, maximizing muscle growth through protein synthesis is the key. But for longevity and life quality, it’s not.
“I don’t trust all PhDs and researchers. For example, a group of them once declared that eating meat was unhealthy. How did they come to that conclusion? Well, they studied people who ate lots of fast-food burgers. Since those people had health problems, the researchers decided that the beef in the hamburgers was to blame.
You don’t need an advanced degree to poke holes in that claim. The subjects were also eating lots of bread and fries and washing them down with soft drinks.”
Well, I do not trust any of them, because I’ve been in that business, I’ve worked close with the medical- and supplement industry and many ‘researchers,’ and I’ve analyzed thousands of studies, especially within this field of health, exercise, and nutrition. And guess what? Almost all of them are extremely badly executed, and most of the time the conclusions drawn are completely wrong as the researchers completely lack understanding of basic human physiology – or they are simply looking to validate their own beliefs, or the sentiment of the company paying for the study, totally ignoring all other factors.
Luckily, once you understand their backward science, you can see right through most of the nonsense in only a few seconds skimming their abstract, and especially their ‘design’ and ‘conclusions.’
Anyhow, let’s carry on.
“When it comes to building muscle, I prefer my PhDs and researchers to be meatheads: men and women who know their way around the gym and have personally experimented with all kinds of diets and supplements. They have perspective; they have skin in the game.”
Well, they research what they are interested in. Still, most of them have a totally worthless education and degree behind them, having studied complete pseudo-science brought to you by the medical industry, the food industry, and the inverted elite families ruling this little world. Also, all of them have their own opinions, agendas, and theories that they are looking to validate.
“The study below is interesting because the researchers’ conclusion and the meathead conclusion differ a bit. See if you can figure it out.”
Is that a challenge? Are you sure you got the right answer though? We’ll see.
The Egg Study
“Protein synthesis is basically the biological process of building muscle. Researchers in this study wanted to see what triggers more protein synthesis after leg day: egg whites or whole eggs.”
Yes, protein synthesis peaks whenever you ingest protein, especially the amino acid called ‘leucine.’ This is why we used either BCAA, EAA or even a quick-acting ‘whey hydrolysate’ back in the days before, during, and after training. A quick triggering meant that the amino-acids would soon be used up and the levels would return to normal, making it possible to repeat the process. So, we had a serving about 30 minutes before training to kick-start protein synthesis just about the time we started lifting, we had another serving during the first half of the workout to make sure there would be enough amino-acids available after the workout (calculating on the emptying-rate of the stomach and absorption-rate in the small intestine.) And then another serving at 90 to 120 minutes after the workout followed by a meal as the levels of amino-acids had return to base-line in the blood, making another hit of protein synthesis possible.
“They rounded up 10 weight-lifting dudes and put them through a workout of leg presses and extensions. They collected blood and muscle biopsy samples to assess whole-body leucine kinetics, intramuscular signaling, and myofibrillar protein synthesis.
Half the lifters consumed whole eggs after their workout and half got egg whites. The protein content was matched: both groups consumed 18 grams.
The result? Both groups benefited from the post-workout protein, but the group eating whole eggs experienced significantly more protein synthesis than the egg-white-only eaters, even though protein content was the same.”
Not surprisingly at all, as a whole egg is a synergetic source of food. It’s complete, just like meat or organ meats. It contains everything you need to grow a life. Also, it would provide a little more energy from the essential fats, which could help in recovery. But more importantly, being more than simply protein, the gastric emptying rate will be slower, providing a “time-release” effect of nutrients, and thus stimulating protein synthesis longer.
“The researchers think this was caused by the other anabolic goodies in egg yolks: microRNAs, various vitamins and minerals, phosphatidic acid, palmitic acid, and DHA.
Now, what do the meatheads say?”
Mainly yes. The little difference in energy from the fats will not do much in such a short window as muscle growth is an ongoing process and very much dependable on what you consume over the span of several days. This study only measured the response during 300 minutes, as in five hours, after that small meal. And for those who are ‘anal’ about gaining muscle, they would have eaten at least one more meal in that time frame, making the results from the researchers’ measurements totally irrelevant as no bodybuilder only consume a small post-workout meal and then goes without food for five hours.
A Different Interpretation
“The researchers aren’t wrong about whole eggs. Yolks are awesome. But what else was different about the two groups in the study? Have you figured it out?
The whole-egg eaters consumed about 150 more post-workout calories than the yolk-less group. A whole egg contains roughly 70 calories – 17 calories in the white and 53 in the yolk.
Was it the magic of whole eggs and dietary fats that caused more muscle protein synthesis, or was it the extra calories?”
Yes, yolks are awesome. However, calories do not exist, it’s a flawed concept of physics and has nothing to do with how our body handles nutrients and energy production.
“Dr. Bill Campbell, a meathead PhD, thinks it was likely the calories. In his analysis, he reminds us that protein synthesis contains two phases: initiation and elongation. The first phase relies on leucine to kick off the process. The second phase needs calories to keep the protein synthesis coming, and the whole-egg eaters consumed more calories.”
Ah, the clueless Bill Campbell again. If this goes above your head Chris, then you need better “experts” to talk to.
He’s correct that there are “phases” to protein synthesis, as in muscle growth. However, they are not connected. You have a form of “protein synthesis” in autophagy where cells are broken down and replaced. This is ever ongoing, but accelerates once you’re in a fasted state. Then you have acute protein synthesis from trauma, as in tissue repair. This acute protein synthesis happens when a muscle has been exercised, as in broken down from mechanical work and metabolic build-up — and it will require extra nutrients to recover and be somewhat “reinforced” to handle that challenge better in the future. This is what muscle growth is, an adaptation. It starts once the muscle has been damaged and it continues until it’s healed. This is a “slow-paced” localized protein synthesis. It’s simply driven by the demand to repair, heal, and reinforce the damaged tissue. However, all forms of protein synthesis will be accelerated for a short period of time whenever you consume protein, as long as it contains at least 3 or more grams of leucine. This is kind of logical as it is a form of need and availability. However, this ‘boost’ is very short-lived, about 1 to 3 hours, and in all honesty, the effect is not all that great. Still, this is why bodybuilders stuff themselves every third hour or so. And while it may help a little bit in packing on muscle in the long run, the strain on the body is enormous. Eating that often to stimulate protein synthesis will age you rapidly, as it affects all tissues – not only the muscle tissue in need of repair, and it will really destroy your digestive system and your organs.
But to get back to the point being made, the little extra “energy” hardly did anything. Instead, it was more likely the slowed down gastric emptying rate of all the nutrients from a whole egg, compared to simply egg white, that prolonged the response. So, while the researchers came half-way with their conclusion, Bill Campbell just pulled some ‘bro-science’ answer out of his ass.
So, What Do I Eat After Training?
“In a nutshell, plenty of protein and some extra calories from carbs or fats. It doesn’t seem to matter, as long as protein is adequate.”
Again, if your goal is maximum muscle mass and you do not care about your health or longevity, sure go ahead. If you do care about health and feeling and looking good at an old age, and you simply lift to stay somewhat strong with a functional and not too overly muscular body, then drop the extremely toxic carbohydrates and focus on animal-based foods. These foods will also give you all the nutrients you need to recover, heal, and stay healthy. And it will protect you a bit from all the negative stress from lifting.
This is what I personally do. I only lift for 35 minutes 3 to 4 times a week, and I only have 2 to 3 meals a day of muscle meat, animal fat, organ meats, and eggs.
“The whole-egg-eaters had about 210 calories after training. If we compile several related studies, we could say that eating at least that many calories containing 40 grams of protein is ideal for hardcore lifters with hypertrophy goals.”
Forget about calories. But yes, 40 grams of protein is a minimum. But the important thing is to get adequate protein and essential nutrients (only found in animal-based foods) every day if you want to increase your muscle mass. I have many articles on this, especially reviewing and commenting Chris Shugart as that is his favorite subject.
To sum up, Chris’ heart is in the right place concerning the sport, unfortunately, he lacks the basic understanding of human physiology and what is natural and not conditioned behavior.
This article though, as he did not really offer any own opinions, was another attempt to sell their protein powder and pre/post-workout supplements.
And the only ‘take-home’ message was that of Bill Campbell bleating about “calories,” and he even got that kind of wrong. So, yeah. Hopefully you learned something from my comments, or at least had a laugh. Catch you all tomorrow.