Can VEGETARIANS Build MUSCLE?

Before answering this question first we need to understand the Basics of nutrition so that you can make the right decisions.

So, why it is hard to build muscles for vegetarians? It is because the amino acid profile for all the vegetarian food source is not complete except milk and soy, we can not have much of soy due to its estrogen qualities. On the other hand when we talk about non-vegetarian food sources like fish, eggs, chicken, etc. they have the most complete amino acid profile.

There are 9 essential amino acids our body needs and in order to build muscle we need all of the essential amino acids if out of these, 1 or 2 amino acids are not present then the amino acid profile is not complete and it will be hard for our body to build muscle.

Difference between Complete and incomplete protein?

Complete Protein: A Complete Protein is which has a complete amino acid profile, which has all the 9 essential amino acids present in the proper ratio like eggs, chicken, fish, etc. Basically, all the non-vegetarian food sources have the complete amino acid profile which is suitable for muscle building.

Incomplete Protein: A incomplete Protein is in which the amino acid profile is not complete or not present in the proper ratios suitable for muscle building. If only one amino acid is missing then also the protein will become incomplete.

The Researchers

A study was also done on Plant-based protein which was published on Harvard Health, you can check the study here.

The Research paper stated the importance of amino acid profile. It also stated that amino acid profile directly relates at which absorbed amino acids are put to within the body. It means that the amino acids profile in food source influences the muscle building in the body.

Animal-based protein is also readily available for protein synthesis in the body. On the other hand, plant-based protein is missing 1 or 2 amino acids. If we complete the missing amino acid, we get the complete protein

Another Study was done on the group of individual, one group was given Whey Protein which has the complete amino acid profile and another group was given Pea protein which has the incomplete amino acid profile, after a few days it was realized the group taking whey protein gained some strength and group taking pea protein did not receive any strength gains.

In the next study, one group of individuals were given whey protein and another group was given pea protein with some LEUCINE because pea protein does not have leucine in it, so after few days, it was realized that both the groups now gained strength and effects were similar.

Conclusion

Vegetarian food sources have the incomplete amino acid profile, so if we complete the amino acid profile of the vegetarian food source, we can achieve similar muscle building effects. But still, there are some other difficulties like veg sources of food has a lot of fiber and Carbohydrates, which sometimes can be a negative point.

So, YES Vegetarians can also build muscle with some good diet and complete amino acids profile. In next to,pic we will cover a vegetarian diet to build muscle, Till then Stay Healthy, Stay Strongg.