Sports
Omnivorous? Vegan? Makes no difference to muscle building after weight training, study finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study asked three questions about muscle protein synthesis in response to a nine-day diet and weight training regimen: First, does the source of protein — plant or animal-based — make any difference to muscle gain? Second, does it matter if total daily protein intake is evenly distributed throughout the day? […]
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study asked three questions about muscle protein synthesis in response to a nine-day diet and weight training regimen: First, does the source of protein — plant or animal-based — make any difference to muscle gain? Second, does it matter if total daily protein intake is evenly distributed throughout the day? And third, does a moderate but sufficient daily protein intake influence any of these variables? The answer to all three questions is “no,” the researchers found.
Their findings are reported in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
Photo courtesy Andrews Askow
“The longstanding belief or the current dogma was that animal-based protein sources were better, particularly for the muscle-building response,” said Nicholas Burd, a professor of health and kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who led the new study with former graduate student Andrew Askow. This belief was rooted in science: Previous studies that took muscle biopsies after a single feeding found that an animal-based meal provided more of a stimulus for muscle protein synthesis than a vegan meal, Burd said. “And so, our general hypothesis based on these previous studies was that the animal-based eating pattern would be more effective at supporting the muscle-building response.”
But measurements taken after a single meal might not reflect the effects of consuming a balanced vegan diet over time, Burd said.
One previous clinical trial had looked at muscle responses in vegans and omnivores who ate a laboratory diet and engaged in weight training for 10 weeks. That study found no significant differences in muscle protein synthesis over time. However, volunteers in that study consumed 1.6-1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, which is much higher than what is needed to maximize muscle protein synthesis and build bigger muscles with weight lifting, Burd said. It also gave those on the vegan diet the bulk of their plant protein in supplements, which is not a realistic recreation of how vegans normally eat, he said.
Burd and his colleagues wanted to know whether the habitual consumption of a varied vegan or meat-based diet of whole foods — rather than ingestion of just a single meal or getting one’s protein from limited sources — would influence the rate of muscle protein synthesis over time. They also wanted to test the hypothesis that a moderate protein intake — in the range of 1.1-1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day — should be distributed evenly throughout the day to maximize muscle growth.
A previous study from Burd’s lab found that protein intakes higher than 1.1 g/kg per day make no difference to the rate of muscle protein synthesis when weight training. This amount of protein also is more in line with a typical American diet, and testing what people normally eat is important, he said.
For the new study, the team recruited 40 healthy, physically active 20-40-year-old adults. The participants underwent a seven-day “habituation diet” to standardize their nutritional status prior to the clinical trial. Then they were randomly assigned to either a vegan or omnivorous diet. The research team provided all meals, some of which were eaten in the lab while most were consumed at home. Roughly 70% of the protein for the omnivorous meals was obtained from animal sources: beef, pork, chicken, dairy, eggs. The vegan diet balanced the amino acid content of the meals, ensuring that participants consumed complete proteins.
The vegan and omnivorous groups were each divided again into those who ate roughly the same amount of protein at each of three meals and those whose protein intake varied across five meals throughout the day, with a larger proportion of protein consumed toward the end of the day.
All participants engaged in a series of muscle-strengthening activities in the lab every three days. They also wore accelerometers to keep track of their activity levels when not in the lab.
Each day, participants drank “heavy” water, which was labeled with deuterium, a stable isotope of hydrogen. The deuterium atoms “exchanged with hydrogen atoms within amino acids to make them heavy and served as tracers” that allowed the team to trace their incorporation into muscle tissue, Burd said. Biopsies of tissue from a leg muscle were taken at the beginning and end of the trial.
Burd was initially surprised to see that there were no differences in rates of muscle protein synthesis between those eating vegan or omnivorous diets. He also was surprised to see that protein distribution across the day had no effect on the rate of muscle building given results from past studies of acute responses to dietary interventions and weight training.
“It was thought that it was better to get a steady-state delivery of nutrients throughout the day,” he said. “I also thought that if you’re getting a lower quality protein — in terms of its digestibility and amino acid content — that perhaps distribution would make a difference. And surprisingly, we showed it doesn’t matter.”
Now, Burd says, if anyone asks him what’s the best type of food they should eat for muscle building, he’ll tell them: “It’s the kind you put in your mouth after exercise. As long as you’re getting sufficient high-quality protein from your food, then it really doesn’t make a difference.”
The Beef Checkoff program, overseen by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Board, supported this research.
Editor’s note:
To reach Nicholas Burd, email naburd@illinois.edu.
The paper “Impact of vegan diets on resistance exercise-mediated myofibrillar protein synthesis in healthy young males and females: A randomized controlled trial” is available online.
DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003725
Sports
Four Oles qualify for NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Story Links Men’s Qualifiers Women’s Qualifiers GENEVA, Ohio – Four members of the St. Olaf College men’s and women’s track and field teams qualified for next week’s 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, as announced on Friday […]
GENEVA, Ohio – Four members of the St. Olaf College men’s and women’s track and field teams qualified for next week’s 2025 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships, as announced on Friday evening.
Junior Isabel Wyatt and senior Alison Bode will represent the women’s team, while juniors Ignatius Fitzgerald and Kevin Turlington will compete for the men’s team at the national meet. The event will be held at the SPIRE Institute Thursday through Saturday, May 22-24.
Wyatt will compete in her first NCAA Outdoor Championships as the No. 16 seed in the 800-meter run (2:09.44) after earning Second Team All-America honors in the event with a ninth-place finish indoors this year. The junior will run in the prelims at 3:15 CT on Friday. The finals will be held at 2 p.m. CT on Saturday.
Bode will run in the 10,000-meter run at the national meet for the third season in a row after earning the No. 15 seed (35:35.82). The senior is a two-time All-American in the event after finishing ninth last year and eighth as a sophomore. The 10,000-meter run will be contested at 8:15 CT on Thursday.
A first-time national qualifier in track and field, Fitzgerald is the No. 7 seed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:52.30). The junior will race in the prelims on Thursday at 6:10 p.m. CT hoping to earn a spot in the finals the next day at 3:40 p.m. CT.
Turlington is the No. 21 seed in the 5,000-meter run (14:11.84) in his first outdoor national meet after claiming Second Team All-America honors with an 11th-place national finish indoors earlier this year. The event will be contested at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the second-to-last event of the championships.
Sports
Huskers Sign Virginia Adriano – University of Nebraska
The Nebraska volleyball program and head coach Dani Busboom Kelly announced the addition of Virginia Adriano for the 2025 season on Friday. Adriano is a 6-5 opposite hitter from Turin, Italy who will have three years of NCAA eligibility. Adriano most recently played for Bergamo in Serie A1, Italy’s top professional league. In the season […]
Sports
Crystal Lake South HS dean, Prairie Ridge volleyball coach arrested following alleged DUI crash with children in car
Hilary Agnello, 43, of Crystal Lake, who is employed by School District 155 as a dean at Crystal Lake South High School and as the girls head volleyball coach at Prairie Ridge High School, was arrested last week for allegedly driving under the influence and causing a crash with injuries in Crystal Lake. | Provided […]
A Crystal Lake South High School dean, who is also a Prairie Ridge High School volleyball coach, was arrested for driving under the influence and causing an injury crash while she had two children in the car.
The Crystal Lake Police Department and Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded around 9:15 p.m. last Friday to the intersection of Route 31 and Three Oaks Road for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Thomas Kotlowski said the investigation showed the at-fault driver in the crash was Hilary Agnello, 43, of Crystal Lake.
Agnello was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol at the time and arrested by officers, Kotlowski said.
Kotlowski said at least two people were transported by ambulance from the crash with minor injuries.
Agnello had two juveniles in the vehicle with her, Kotlowski added.
Agnello was charged with driving under the influence, two counts of child endangerment, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash.
A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Circuit Court said the two children in Agnello’s car were ages 12 and 14.
An officer noted in a report that Agnello’s speech was thick-tongued and she had an odor of alcoholic beverage emitting from her breathing and field sobriety testing showed further signs of impairment.
The report said Agnello refused to submit to or failed to complete testing, resulting in a minimum 12-month suspension of her driving privileges.
Kotlowski said Agnello refused to submit to blood alcohol testing and a search warrant was obtained for blood samples, which will be sent to the lab for analysis.
Agnell is one of the deans at Crystal Lake South High School in District 155. She is also the girl’s volleyball head coach at Prairie Ridge High School in Prairie Grove, which is also in District 155.
Agnello was released from custody following her arrest and is scheduled to appear for her first court hearing in the case on June 10.
Court records show Agnell has a prior driving under the influence violation from 2017 and also has numerous traffic violations in McHenry County, including one where she fled the scene of a crash involving a parked vehicle last year.
Sports
Chris Lindauer named Paul A. Violich Director of Women’s Swimming
Chris Lindauer has been named Paul A. Violich Director of Women’s Swimming, as announced by interim athletics director and chief operating officer Alden Mitchell on Thursday afternoon. Lindauer becomes the eighth head coach in program history, taking the helm of the NCAA’s most decorated women’s swimming and diving program, which boasts 12 national titles and […]
Chris Lindauer has been named Paul A. Violich Director of Women’s Swimming, as announced by interim athletics director and chief operating officer Alden Mitchell on Thursday afternoon.
Lindauer becomes the eighth head coach in program history, taking the helm of the NCAA’s most decorated women’s swimming and diving program, which boasts 12 national titles and 25 conference championships.
Stanford remains the only women’s swimming and diving program to never finish outside the top 10 at a national championship meet.
“It is an absolute honor and privilege to have the opportunity to lead the most successful women’s swimming and diving program in NCAA history,” Lindauer said. “The standard for academic and athletic excellence at Stanford is second to none, and provides a platform for greatness well beyond the student-athlete experience. I’d like to thank Alden Mitchell, Angie Jabir, and Richard Zhu for believing in me and giving my family and I this amazing opportunity. It is my absolute mission to continue the excellent tradition of bringing NCAA Championships to The Farm, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Lindauer has a proven track record of elevating programs to new heights, coaching 10 individual national champions, 46 women’s NCAA All-Americans, and 49 men’s NCAA All-Americans during his 15-year coaching career.
He also brings an Olympic-level coaching pedigree, mentoring a pair of gold medalists and 13 Olympic qualifiers, in addition to serving on the USA National Team coaching staff from 2018-20.
“We are excited to welcome Chris Lindauer to serve as the next leader of the Stanford women’s swimming and diving program,” said Mitchell, “With his Olympic, national team, NCAA, and ACC success, Chris will build upon the program’s rich tradition of competitive excellence in the pool and beyond. Chris’ humility, dedication to building lasting relationships, and focus on ensuring a high-academic experience will make a lasting impact on our student-athletes. We look forward to welcoming Chris, Beth, and their three sons, Jack, Owen, and Brady to The Farm.”
Lindauer comes to Stanford after a three-year stint leading the Notre Dame swimming and diving programs. During his time in South Bend, he led the men’s program to back-to-back historic NCAA finishes, including a program-best 10th place in 2024.
The standard for academic and athletic excellence at Stanford is second to none, and provides a platform for greatness well beyond the student-athlete experience. ”
Chris Lindauer
His work with the men’s program included coaching 2024 ACC Swimmer of the Year Chris Giuliano and 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year Tommy Janton, a tandem that combined for five ACC titles and 14 All-America honors.
On the women’s side, Lindauer coached First Team All-ACC honorees Madelyn Christman (200 back) and Maggie Graves (1650 free) in 2024.
Lindauer’s success with the Fighting Irish earned him his first Olympic coaching role, serving as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games. In Paris, Lindauer worked directly with Guiliano as he turned in a World record-breaking performance en route to Olympic Gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay, along with a silver medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Prior to Notre Dame, Lindauer spent 13 seasons at Louisville, most recently serving as associate head coach. During his tenure, Lindauer coached numerous Olympians and 12 NCAA champions, with his student-athletes earning more than 100 All-America honors.
His time in Louisville was highlighted by the Cardinals’ first ACC men’s title in 2021, as well as a historic 2019 season in which Louisville became the first ACC school to have both the men’s and women’s teams earn top-five finishes at the NCAA Championships in the same season, a program-best finish for both teams.
With the Cardinals, Lindauer coached Kelsi Worrell (2012-16), a two-time NCAA champion and 2016 Olympic Gold medalist in the 4x100m medley relay. Lindauer was also key in the development of two-time NCAA champion Nick Albiero (2017-22), and Mallory Comerford (2015-19), a four-time national champion and the first woman in ACC history to earn Swimmer of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons.
A native of Westminster, Colorado, Lindauer also swam collegiately at Louisville, where he was a four-time Big East champion and seven-time All-Big East selection. He graduated in 2008 with a degree in Biology.
Lindauer arrives on The Farm with his wife, Beth, and their three sons, Jack, Owen, and Brady.
The hiring is contingent on the successful completion of a background check.
Sports
Southern Illinois Salukis – Official Athletics Website
Southern Illinois Volleyball announced the addition of Chris Yates to the 2025 coaching staff on May 16, 2025. A native of Chicago, Ill., Yates spent the 2024 season as an assistant at Angelo State University, where the program made an appearance in the 2024 Division II Final Four. Before his first collegiate coaching job, Yates […]
A native of Chicago, Ill., Yates spent the 2024 season as an assistant at Angelo State University, where the program made an appearance in the 2024 Division II Final Four.
Before his first collegiate coaching job, Yates was heavily involved at his alma mater, the University of Dayton. As a student, he was a practice player for the school’s women’s volleyball team where he gained valuable experience with a program that won back-to-back Atlantic-10 championships and in turn made the NCAA tournament in both the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In addition to working with the women’s team, Yates held high-level positions in the Dayton Men’s Volleyball Club, holding the positions of treasurer, vice president and president. The club would rank as high as No. 16 in 2018 and No. 22 in 2019 by the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation.
He returned to Dayton in 2023 to serve as a virtual coach mentee, where he would assist in recruiting database management, provide feedback on film evaluations and scout multiple opponents every week.
At the high school level, Yates helped St. Ignatius High School (Ill.) to a third-place finish in the state as an assistant.
From 2020-24, Yates was the head coach for the 1st Alliance Volleyball Club, where his team won the 2023 WCNQ 17 American & Presidents Day Classic 17 Premier Championship.
Sports
California Women, Duke Men Lead ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships After Day One
Story Links WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (theACC.com) – On the first day of the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, six facility records were broken as the California women and Duke men got out to early leads on Thursday, May 15. The Golden Bears, competing in their first ACC Outdoor Track […]
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (theACC.com) – On the first day of the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, six facility records were broken as the California women and Duke men got out to early leads on Thursday, May 15. The Golden Bears, competing in their first ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, logged 27 points and hold a one-point lead over Virginia Tech heading into the second day of competition. With 30 points on the opening day, the Duke men lead the field by 17 points with North Carolina sitting in second place.
Miami’s Devoux Deysel opened the 2025 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a strong showing in the men’s javelin. Deysel outthrew the competition by nearly 15 meters (48 feet) before finishing with a facility-record mark of 82.35 meters (270-2). Entering Thursday, his mark would be the longest in the country by 1.34 meters and fell just 0.57 meters shy of the ACC record. The previous Kentner Stadium record in the men’s javelin was 79.97 meters and had stood since 2008.
California picked up its first-ever gold medal at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships when sophomore Giavonna Meeks finished first in the women’s hammer throw with a facility-record mark of 67.86 meters (222-8). Her teammate, Valentina Savva, finished second, while Audrey Jacobs and Adrianna Coleman rounded out All-ACC honors for the Golden Bears, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. Virginia Tech’s Mariana Pestana took third place to round out the podium.
In the men’s hammer throw, Duke’s Christian Toro finished in first place with a mark of 68.35 meters (224-3). Virginia’s Keyandre Davis finished second (67.12m/220-2), while Cal’s Jared Freeman took third (66.52m/218-3).
Virginia Tech’s Lyndsey Reed took the gold medal in the women’s pole vault with a mark of 4.42 meters (14-6) on her first attempt, while Louisville’s Ashley Callahan finished second, needing two tries to clear the same height. Duke’s Allison Neiders and Gemma Tutton, alongside Virginia Tech’s Chiara Sistermann, finished in a three-way tie for third place at 4.32 meters (14-2) on their third attempts.
For the sixth time in his collegiate career, North Carolina’s Parker Wolfe is an ACC Champion. The Tar Heel standout logged his third career outdoor track & field individual title by winning the men’s 10,000-meter run in a facility-record time of 28:51.09. Wolfe was joined on the podium by Stanford’s Lex Young (28:55.29) and Notre Dame’s Ethan Coleman (28:59.86), who took second and third, respectively.
Virginia’s Jenny Schilling also set the facility record in the women’s 10,000-meter run, crossing the finish line in a time of 33:22.34. Notre Dame earned a trio of All-ACC honorees in the event, highlighted by a second-place finish by Emily Covert. North Carolina’s Fatima Alanis rounded out the podium finishers.
In the prelims for the women’s 200-meter dash, Duke’s Braelyn Baker set a new Kentner Stadium record, clocking a time of 23.02 seconds. Louisville’s Kiyah Yeast also went under the previous record with a time of 23.08 seconds.
The prelims of the women’s 400-meter hurdles also saw the facility record fall on Thursday night, when Florida State’s Tyra Wilson crossed the finish line with a time of 55.73 seconds. Miami’s Sanaa Hebron also went under the previous record, which had stood since 2006.
Top-Three Event Finishers
Men’s Javelin
- Devoux Deysel, Miami, 82.35m [FR]
- Scott Campbell, Duke, 67.75m
- Matt Prebola, Duke, 66.82m
Men’s Hammer Throw
- Christian Toro, Duke, 68.35m
- Keyandre Davis, Virginia, 67.12m
- Jared Freeman, California, 66.52m
Women’s Hammer Throw
- Giavonna Meeks, California, 67.86m [FR]
- Valentina Savva, California, 67.63m
- Mariana Pestana, Virginia Tech, 66.14m
Women’s Pole Vault
- Lyndsey Reed, Virginia Tech, 4.42m (1)
- Ashley Callahan, Louisville, 4.42m (2)
- Julia Fixsen, Virginia Tech; Allison Neiders, Duke; Gemma Tutton, Duke, 4.32m (3)
Women’s 10,000m
- Jenny Schilling, Virginia, 33:22.34 [FR]
- Emily Covert, Notre Dame, 33:30.18
- Fatima Alanis, North Carolina, 33:35.63
Men’s 10,000m
- Parker Wolfe, North Carolina, 28:51.09 [FR]
- Lex Young, Stanford, 28:55.29
- Ethan Coleman, Notre Dame, 28:59.86
FR – Facility Record
Women’s Team Scores (3 of 21 Events scored)
| 1. | California | 27 points |
| 2. | Virginia Tech | 26 |
| 3. | Notre Dame | 18 |
| 4. | Virginia | 16 |
| 5. | Duke | 10 |
| 6. | Louisville | 8 |
| 7. | North Carolina | 7 |
| 8. | Syracuse | 4 |
| 9. | Miami | 1 |
| T-10 | Boston College | 0 |
| Clemson | 0 | |
| Florida State | 0 | |
| Georgia Tech | 0 | |
| NC State | 0 | |
| Pitt | 0 | |
| SMU | 0 | |
| Stanford | 0 | |
| Wake Forest | 0 |
Men’s Team Scores (3 of 21 events scored)
| 1. | Duke | 30 Points |
| 2. | North Carolina | 13 |
| 3. | Virginia | 11 |
| 4. | Miami | 10 |
| 5. | California | 9 |
| 6. | Stanford | 8 |
| T-7. | Pitt | 7 |
| Syracuse | 7 | |
| 9. | Notre Dame | 6 |
| T-10. | Louisville | 5 |
| Virginia Tech | 5 | |
| 12. | NC State | 4 |
| 13. | Florida State | 2 |
| T-14. | Boston College | 0 |
| Clemson | 0 | |
| Georgia Tech | 0 | |
| Wake Forest | 0 |
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