Is There a Limit to How Much Protein You Can Use for Building Lean Muscle?

First and foremost, it’s important to note that from a nutritional standpoint, the term “absorption” refers to the passage of nutrients from the gut into circulation— and in this context, there is virtually no limit to protein absorption.

A long-held belief is that your body can only absorb a fairly small amount of protein in a single feeding. The exact dosage varies depending on who you listen to, but it’s generally purported to be somewhere around 20-30 grams of protein per meal. While the claim is often taken as gospel, let’s take a close look at the research to draw evidence-based conclusions on the topic.

Once digested, the constituent amino acids of a given protein are transported through the intestinal cells (enterocytes) and then enter the bloodstream— pretty much all the amino acids consumed become available for use by tissues. The only potential issue with absorption is when you ingest individual free-form amino acids, as this can cause competition at the enterocytes, whereby the amino acids present in the highest concentrations are absorbed at the expense of those that are less concentrated.6

The more relevant question here is whether there’s an upper limit to how much protein your body can use for lean muscle-building purposes. This question is a lot more complex, and an evidence-based answer requires a good deal of extrapolation based on the limitations of current research.