09/09/2021
Great to know this.
💪🏻Is muscle growth different between women and men?
👨🏻Men generally have more muscle mass compared to women. Some may suggest that the male s*x
hormone testosterone is responsible for this, as females have much lower testosterone levels.
🏋🏽♀️This study investigated whether the muscle protein synthetic response (i.e. the underlying process for muscle adaptation) to protein ingestion and resistance exercise is different between men and women.
👱🏽♀️Women indeed had much lower testosterone levels right after exercise: testosterone was 45 times
lower in women compared to men.
📊However, muscle protein synthesis rates were similar between women and men after a resistance
exercise session and protein ingestion.
🔍This finding supports the notion that muscle growth does not rely on post-exercise increases in
circulating testosterone (within normal levels).
🧐It should be noted that muscle protein synthesis is relative as it is measured in % per hour. This
means that men would still gain more muscle mass during resistance training, because they usually
start off with more muscle.
💡In conclusion, the muscle protein synthetic response to exercise and protein is similar between men
and women despite large differences in testosterone levels.
PS: Ladies, gaining muscle mass is still a difficult and slow process. You don’t need to worry about getting “too bulky” accidentally.
📄Study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22383503
