Eat To Grow: Fat to Muscle

In 1998 a group of sports scientists from Brazil reported that increasing protein intake from 1.5 to 2.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight led to no further increases in either muscle protein synthesis or muscle mass gains in young bodybuilders. In later research they also found that a lower starch (carbohydrate) intake led to leaner mass gains than a higher starch intake.

This year the same group focused on the bodybuilding effects of fat supplements, specifically omega-3 and medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) supplements. They provided four grams a day of either omega-3 or MCT supplements to 12 young bodybuilders, average age 22, for 28 days. All the subjects experienced increased muscle mass gains and increased nitrogen retention in muscle, an effect that indicates anticatabolic activity. IM