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The Rocky Balboa egg study: Plasma amino acid responses
Researchers tested the effects of cooked versus raw eggs on muscle protein synthesis. Participants were given either a cooked or raw egg, with one group serving as a control. The study found that the raw egg group had a higher increase in plasma amino acid levels, particularly in leucine, which plays an important role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis. The study was referenced in a cleverly titled article that included a reference to Rocky Balboa.
It’s very common to assume that group-level findings from research will reliably predict how you (or your clients) will respond to a particular training strategy, but that’s not always the case. In today’s episode, Greg discusses the substantial amount of inter-individual variability observed in responses to training interventions, and how to navigate training decisions in light of these hard-to-predict differences among individuals. After that, Eric discusses protein quality: what it is, what affects it, and how much it does (or doesn’t) matter from a practical perspective. His segment summarizes the research directly comparing a wide range of protein sources, and provides practical strategies for protein source selection in vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous diets.
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TIME STAMPS
Intro/Announcements (0:00)
Greg’s segment: Individual responses versus group responses in resistance training (10:25)
The importance of assessing individual-level responses (12:43)
Study: Different Load Intensity Transition Schemes to Avoid Plateau and No-Response in Lean Body Mass Gain in Postmenopausal Women. (17:40)
Broader discussion of individual-level responses and variation from person-to-person (24:19)
What has worked atypically well for Greg and Eric? (33:06)
Eric’s segment: protein quality (40:40)
When you think about consuming raw eggs, what comes to mind? (40:46)
Overview of protein quality (47:47)
Digestibility of raw versus cooked eggs (49:24)
Study: Raw Eggs to Support Post-Exercise Recovery in Healthy Young Men: Did Rocky Get It Right or Wrong? (50:42)
The “chain of assumptions” between protein quality, blood amino acid response, muscle protein synthesis response, and long-term hypertrophy (58:26)
Amino acid profiles of various protein sources (1:01:30)
Directly comparing high-quality versus low-quality protein sources (1:05:42)
Flipping the “chain of assumptions” (1:14:03)
How much protein comes from plant-based sources in an omnivorous diet? (1:16:58)
Complementary proteins and practical applications related to selection of protein sources (1:20:43)
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Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode