Pea Protein and muscle
What 4 graded rows on pea protein agree on for muscle, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.
Consensus finder Rows from the Pea Protein page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides
What the rows agree on
Each block and row is one graded row from the Pea Protein page, with its PubMed record.
Your question
Pea Protein and muscle
4 rows · 234 peopleSplit. 2 rows found an improvement and 2 found no difference.
- CGrade C× 1
- DGrade D× 3
- Rows
- 4
- Trials
- 4
- People
- 234
Where they differ
From the rowsThe best-graded row, grade C, is a randomized trial of 161 people (2015) and found an improvement.
The 2 rows that found an improvement were larger: a median of 96 people, against a median of 21 people for the 2 rows that found no difference.
Only the 2 rows that found no difference name women in their population.
The best grade is C among the rows that found an improvement, and D among the rows that found no difference.
The rows
2 improved · 2 no difference- CGrade CMuscle thickness and strength with resistance training · Improved
RCT · n 161 · 2015 · Men aged 18 to 35 starting 12 weeks of upper-limb resistance training
25 g twice daily · 12 weeks
Biceps thickness rose in all groups with only a trend toward group differences overall; pea beat placebo for thickness gains (significant in the weakest participants), with no difference between pea and whey. Strength rose similarly in all groups.
Row on the Pea Protein page · PubMed 25628520 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DMuscle protein synthesis in older men · Improved
RCT · n 31 · 2024 · Healthy men aged about 72 on a controlled diet at the protein RDA
Extra 50 g/day (25 g at breakfast and lunch) · 8 days of supplementation after a 7-day RDA phase
Integrated muscle protein synthesis rose with pea (1.59%/day) and whey (1.59%/day) compared with the RDA-only phase.
Row on the Pea Protein page · PubMed 38762187 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DMuscle protein synthesis with training: pea- vs whey-supplemented diet · No difference
RCT · n 27 · 2025 · Adults aged 50 to 70 doing one-leg resistance exercise every other day
Diet providing 1.0 g protein per kg body weight per day · 10 days
Daily myofibrillar protein synthesis was higher in the trained than the untrained leg on both diets (pea 1.50 vs 1.34 %/day; whey 1.44 vs 1.29 %/day) with no difference between diets. Strength, muscle architecture and kidney function did not change; non-HDL cholesterol fell on the pea diet only.
Row on the Pea Protein page · PubMed 40288581 (opens PubMed)
- DGrade DStrength and body composition with high-intensity functional training · No difference
RCT · n 15 · 2019 · Men and women doing high-intensity functional training
24 g before and after exercise on training days and between meals on rest days · 8 weeks
Squat and deadlift 1RM rose in both groups with no differences between pea and whey for any measure.
Row on the Pea Protein page · PubMed 30621129 (opens PubMed)