Brandon DaCruz - Protein Masterclass: How Much You Need for Muscle, Fat Loss and Ageing

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Episode Summary
Brandon DaCruz is an online nutrition and physique coach and the host of the Chasing Clarity Health and Fitness podcast, and he is a familiar voice to Mikkipedia listeners. In the latest Mikkipedia and Chasing Clarity collaboration, he and Mikki put together a protein masterclass, working through the questions they are asked most: how much protein you need, how that changes with your goal and life stage, and which details deserve your attention.
They cover why protein is still so confusing despite being added to everything from yoghurt to chocolate bars, why resistance training and protein work together, the difference between the RDA and an intake that supports muscle, and why needs rise in a calorie deficit. They also discuss lean mass loss in people with a lot of excess body fat and those on GLP-1 medications, protein and appetite, protein quality and plant versus animal sources, how much protein one meal can use, and the anabolic window. Brandon finishes with practical starting points for muscle gain, recomposition, fat loss and very lean athletes, and Mikki does the same for endurance athletes, older adults and vegans.
Key Topics
  • Why protein advice is still confusing: "proteinification" of food, lingering myths about kidney harm, and experts with similar authority saying very different things
  • Why training creates the signal for muscle growth and protein supports the response, and why adding protein without resistance training does little for muscle
  • How much people actually eat: Mikki sees most clients under-eating protein even when they think every meal is covered, and Brandon sees protein skewed towards dinner and dropping at weekends, in men as well as women
  • The RDA of 0.8 g/kg is an adequacy figure, not a target for muscle; around 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg covers most of the benefit for people training at maintenance or in a surplus, while Mikki aims for at least 1.8 g/kg for endurance athletes and around 2 g/kg for those eating lower carb
  • Fat loss: a deficit suppresses muscle protein synthesis, so Brandon scales protein with the risk of muscle loss, from around 1.9 g/kg up to 2.5 to 3.2 g/kg for very lean and physique athletes
  • Lean mass and GLP-1s: why Brandon worries less about some lean mass loss in people with a lot of excess body fat, and how DEXA "lean mass" includes more than muscle
  • Don Layman's informal 100 g a day floor, and why both hosts increase protein in steps rather than all at once
  • Protein and satiety: protein is the most filling macronutrient, but fibre, water, energy density, food volume and regular meal timing matter too, and protein-fortified snacks are still processed food
  • Protein quality and plant-based diets: leucine and the full essential amino acid profile, what vegan and mycoprotein trials show, leucine in plant protein powders, and why Mikki adds an essential amino acid powder for plant-based athletes
  • Per-meal protein and timing: the body can use more than 20 to 30 g at once, three to five protein meals a day works well, and the post-workout window is wider than 30 minutes, though protein soon after fasted training still matters
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Brandon and the protein masterclass
03:13 Why protein still confuses people
08:06 Protein, resistance training and muscle
15:54 How much protein people actually eat
22:28 The RDA versus an optimal intake
27:50 Protein needs for endurance athletes
30:15 Protein needs during fat loss
39:50 Lean mass, excess body fat and GLP-1s
47:45 A 100 gram floor and building up gradually
52:35 Satiety and metabolic health
1:02:14 Protein quality and plant versus animal sources
1:17:21 Per-meal protein, distribution and timing
1:26:10 Practical targets by goal and population
Guest / Resources
Brandon DaCruz
  • Instagram: @brandondacruz_
  • Website: brandondacruzfit.com
  • Chasing Clarity: Health & Fitness Podcast, on all major podcast platforms
  • Chasing Clarity EP. 93, Dr Scott Stevenson on whether there is an upper limit to protein-stimulated muscle anabolism (the Trommelen study): listen here
Earlier Mikkipedia episodes mentioned
Why protein matters and how much people eat
  • Brenner BM, Meyer TW, Hostetter TH. Dietary protein intake and the progressive nature of kidney disease. N Engl J Med, 1982 (the "Brenner hypothesis"): doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198209093071104
  • Mertz KH et al. The effect of daily protein supplementation, with or without resistance training for 1 year, on muscle size, strength, and function in healthy older adults. Am J Clin Nutr, 2021: doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa372
  • Layman DK et al. Dietary protein and exercise have additive effects on body composition during weight loss in adult women. J Nutr, 2005: doi.org/10.1093/jn/135.8.1903
  • Bray GA et al. Effect of dietary protein content on weight gain, energy expenditure, and body composition during overeating. JAMA, 2012: doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.1918
  • University of Otago and Ministry of Health. A Focus on Nutrition: Key Findings of the 2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey, 2011 (protein chapter): health.govt.nz
How much protein for muscle
  • Morton RW et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med, 2018: doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608
  • Greg Nuckols, Stronger By Science. Protein Science Updated: Why It's Time to Move Beyond the "1.6-2.2g/kg" Rule: strongerbyscience.com/protein-science
Protein during fat loss
  • Pasiakos SM et al. Acute energy deprivation affects skeletal muscle protein synthesis and associated intracellular signaling proteins in physically active adults. J Nutr, 2010: doi.org/10.3945/jn.109.118372
  • Areta JL et al. Reduced resting skeletal muscle protein synthesis is rescued by resistance exercise and protein ingestion following short-term energy deficit. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 2014: doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00590.2013
  • Refalo MC, Trexler ET, Helms ER. Effect of dietary protein on fat-free mass in energy restricted, resistance-trained individuals: an updated systematic review with meta-regression. Strength Cond J, 2025: doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0000000000000888
  • Keys A et al. The Biology of Human Starvation. University of Minnesota Press, 1950 (the Minnesota Semi-Starvation Study), and Dulloo AG, Jacquet J, Girardier L. Poststarvation hyperphagia and body fat overshooting in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 1997: doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/65.3.717
  • Nindl BC, Friedl KE et al. Physical performance and metabolic recovery among lean, healthy men following a prolonged energy deficit (US Army Ranger training). Int J Sports Med, 1997: doi.org/10.1055/s-2007-972640
Excess body fat, lean mass and GLP-1s
  • Maffetone PB, Laursen PB. The prevalence of overfat adults and children in the US (estimated at 91% of adults). Front Public Health, 2017: doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00290
  • O'Hearn M et al. Trends and disparities in cardiometabolic health among U.S. adults, 1999-2018 (6.8% had optimal cardiometabolic health in 2017-18). J Am Coll Cardiol, 2022: doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2022.04.046
  • Abe T et al. Skeletal muscle mass and architecture of the world's strongest raw powerlifter: a case study (Ray Williams). Asian J Sports Med, 2018: doi.org/10.5812/asjsm.61763
  • Wilding JPH et al. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity (STEP 1). N Engl J Med, 2021: doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
  • Medications discussed: semaglutide and tirzepatide
Satiety
  • Helms ER et al. High-protein, low-fat, short-term diet results in less stress and fatigue than moderate-protein moderate-fat diet during weight loss in male weightlifters: a pilot study. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2015: doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2014-0056
  • Holt SH, Miller JC, Petocz P, Farmakalidis E. A satiety index of common foods. Eur J Clin Nutr, 1995: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7498104
Protein quality and plant-based diets
  • Wolfe RR. Branched-chain amino acids and muscle protein synthesis in humans: myth or reality? J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2017: doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0184-9
  • Hevia-Larraín V et al. High-protein plant-based diet versus a protein-matched omnivorous diet to support resistance training adaptations: a comparison between habitual vegans and omnivores. Sports Med, 2021: doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01434-9
  • Monteyne AJ et al. Vegan and omnivorous high protein diets support comparable daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates and skeletal muscle hypertrophy in young adults (mycoprotein-rich vegan diet). J Nutr, 2023: doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.02.023
  • Norton LE et al. Leucine content of dietary proteins is a determinant of postprandial skeletal muscle protein synthesis in adult rats. Nutr Metab (Lond), 2012: doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-9-67
Per-meal protein and timing
  • Trommelen J et al. The anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit in magnitude and duration in vivo in humans. Cell Rep Med, 2023: doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101324
  • Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2018: doi.org/10.1186/s12970-018-0215-1
  • Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA, Krieger JW. The effect of protein timing on muscle strength and hypertrophy: a meta-analysis. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2013: doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-10-53
  • Arent SM et al. Nutrient timing: a garage door of opportunity? Nutrients, 2020: doi.org/10.3390/nu12071948
  • Rothschild JA et al. Pre-exercise carbohydrate or protein ingestion influences substrate oxidation but not performance or hunger compared with cycling in the fasted state. Nutrients, 2021: doi.org/10.3390/nu13041291