We use essential cookies (authentication, your saved goals/stack) by default. With your permission we’ll also enable privacy-respecting analytics (Vercel Web Analytics, anonymous load-time metrics) and error-replay diagnostics (Sentry — DOM snapshots only when an error fires) so we can fix bugs faster. Learn more about cookies
Ppr5.5
Pea Protein Research
Too few graded studies
25 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Too few graded studies
Pea Protein doesn't have enough studies with structured effect-size data yet to pool a verdict. Browse the studies below for individual findings.
Most evidence is from high-quality randomised trials published 2018–2026 with a typical study size of 47 participants.
Based on 25 studies · 21 RCTs · 124 total participants
Confidence
Moderate confidence
By outcome
Lean body mass & muscle growthSupports muscle protein synthesis with resistance training, no differently from whey in one trial; strength did not change over 10 days · 4-12 weeks
Too few graded studies13 studies
Muscle strength & powerSupports muscle protein synthesis with resistance training, no differently from whey in one trial; strength did not change over 10 days · 4-12 weeks
Too few graded studies5 studies
RecoveryDid not significantly reduce muscle damage markers after exercise in two trials, where whey did · Acute-days
Too few graded studies4 studies
Active research area
20 studies in the last 5 years
20182026
1RCT2020
Jäger R, Zaragoza J, Purpura M, Iametti S, Marengo M, Tinsley GM · Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins (2020)
No plain-language summary recorded for this citation — open the paper to read its abstract.
In plain English: The intake of a mixed protein containing both animal and plant proteins had positive effects on golf performance and muscle function.
Seo JW, Jiang S, Ahn S, Kang YS, Sung Y, Li X, Jamrasi P, Sun EM, Yoo J, Kim BY, Sim H, Song W. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (2024)
MG significantly increased driver distance by 5.17 ± 12.8 m ( p = .046), driver ball speed by 1.36 ± 2.87 m/s ( p = .021).
Additionally, significantly improvements were observed in hand grip strength (+2.12 ± 3.47 kg, p = .004), two-minute push-ups (+4.89 ± 8.14 reps, p = .004), and balance score (-0.37 ± 0.69 min, p = .009).
No significant differences were observed in body composition parameters ( p > .05).
In plain English: There was no difference in recovery of strength, power, and soreness after EIMD in people who follow a vegetarian diet while consuming the lower and upper ends of protein recommendations for athletes.
Presti N, Rideout TC, Temple JL, Bratta B, Hostler D. · Nutrients (2025)
Results : There was a difference over time ( p < 0.001), but not between conditions, for isometric strength ( p = 0.92), vertical jump ( p = 0.78), concentric strength at 60 ( p = 0.92), 180 ( p = 0.91), and 240 degrees per second ( p = 0.90).
There was a difference over time ( p < 0.001), but not between groups, for pressure pain threshold while sitting ( p = 0.74) and standing ( p = 0.94), and the 10 cm visual analog scale completed while walking ( p = 0.10), sitting ( p = 0.32), and standing ( p = 0.15).
The opposite condition was performed after a 2-week washout period.
In plain English: This review highlights their composition, functional and structural properties, industrial applications, and novel processing technologies like enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation to enhance digestibility and bioavailability, positioning plant proteins as vital agents of human health and sustainability.
Sarathy SP, Ravikumar H, Nanjan P, Alagesan N, Chua BL. · International journal of biological macromolecules (2025)
Soy protein offers 36-40 % protein content with a complete amino acid profile, while pea protein exhibits ~80 % digestibility and high arginine levels (~8.7 g/100 g).
Substituting animal proteins with plant-based options may reduce LDL cholesterol by 5-10 % and lower type 2 diabetes risk by 18 %.
Environmentally, they contribute up to 90 % fewer greenhouse gas emissions and use 75 % less water than red meat proteins.
In plain English: RET enhances rates of daily iMyoPS in middle-to-older aged adults consuming a typical protein-containing diet, with no influence of protein source.
Korzepa M et al. · The American journal of clinical nutrition (2025)
27 adults aged 50 to 70 ate 1.0 g/kg/day of protein for 10 days from a whey-supplemented or a pea-supplemented diet, training one leg every other day.
Myofibrillar protein synthesis was higher in the trained leg than the untrained leg in both groups, with no difference between pea and whey. The rise came from training, not from pea protein.
Strength, muscle architecture, anabolic signalling, metabolic rate and kidney function did not change with either diet. Non-HDL cholesterol fell on the pea diet only.
In plain English: Whether the addition of low-dose whey protein to typical meals of middle-to-older aged adults can enhance muscle anabolism without adversely affecting appetite remains to be determined.
Korzepa M, Marshall RN, Rogers LM, Belfield AE, Quinlan JI, Huang Y, Gritsas A, Churchward-Venne TA, Glover EI, van Loon LJC, Wallis GA, Breen L. · European journal of nutrition (2025)
Plasma total amino acids and essential amino acids increased over time (both P < 0.05) with no between-group differences or overall availability over 180 min (incremental area under the curve (iAUC)).
Plasma leucine concentrations increased over time (both P < 0.05) with greater peak concentrations (P = 0.032) and iAUC (P = 0.012) in MB + WPC compared with MB + PPI.
Plasma total-ghrelin and total-GLP-1 concentrations and perceived ratings of hunger, fullness, and satiety were transiently altered following MB + WPC and MB + PPI (P < 0.05 for all), with no differences between groups.
In plain English: No between-treatment differences in appetite or energy intake responses were apparent, suggesting that the influence of protein ingestion on perceived appetite ratings and orexigenic hormonal responses may not be solely determined by postprandial plasma aminoacidemia.
Rogers LM, Belfield AE, Korzepa M, Gritsas A, Churchward-Venne TA, Breen L. · The British journal of nutrition (2024)
Mean plasma essential amino acid incremental AUC was higher in WHEY, compared with PEA ( P < 0·01; mean diff (95 % CI): 44 218 (15 806, 72 631) μmol·240 min·l -1 ) and BLEND ( P < 0·01; 14 358 (16 031, 101 121) μmol·240 min·l -1 ), with no differences between PEA and BLEND ( P = 0·67).
Plasma ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide-1, appetite ratings and a d libitum energy intake responses did not differ between treatments ( P > 0·05 for all).
Ingestion of a pea-rice protein blend did not augment postprandial aminoacidemia above pea protein, perhaps attributable to marginal differences in essential amino acid composition.
In plain English: These data demonstrate that HME delays in vivo plasma amino acid availability following ingestion of a mycoprotein/pea protein blend.
West S, Monteyne AJ, Whelehan G, Abdelrahman DR, Murton AJ, Finnigan TJ, Mandalari G, Booth C, Wilde PJ, Stephens FB, Wall BT. · The Journal of nutrition (2024)
Participants consumed a beverage containing 25 g protein from a "dry" blend (CON) of mycoprotein/pea protein (39%/61%) or an HME content-matched blend (EXT).
Results Protein ingestion increased plasma total, essential (EAA), and branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) concentrations (time effect, P < 0.0001) but more rapidly and to a greater magnitude in the CON compared with the EXT condition (condition × time interaction, P < 0.0001).
Fluorescence microscopy revealed clear structural differences between the 2 conditions.
In plain English: Due to a heavy reliance on male-skewed cohorts and a scarcity of direct head-to-head clinical trials comparing pea protein with pure α-lactalbumin fractions, caution must be exercised before making rigid clinical policy decisions for diverse, frail geriatric populations.
Hao S, Jin F, Lei X, He Y, Liu Y. · Frontiers in nutrition (2026)
In clinical human trials, acute postprandial metrics heavily favor dairy fractions, inducing rapid leucine spikes and superior peripheral mTORC1 activation compared to pea protein.
Ultimately, long-term functional adaptations depend primarily on total daily amino acid adequacy rather than protein origin.
Due to a heavy reliance on male-skewed cohorts and a scarcity of direct head-to-head clinical trials comparing pea protein with pure α-lactalbumin fractions, caution must be exercised before making rigid clinical policy decisions for diverse, frail geriatric populations.
In plain English: Under our experimental conditions, the degree of agreement between the dual isotope and ileal balance methods varied among AAs and depended on the protein source.
Guillin FM, Gaudichon C, Guérin-Deremaux L, Lefranc-Millot C, Airinei G, Khodorova N, Benamouzig R, Pomport PH, Martin J, Calvez J. · The Journal of nutrition (2024)
For pea protein, the mean IAA digestibility was similar between the 2 methods, but significant differences (from 10% to 20%) were observed for individual IAA values.
Under our experimental conditions, the degree of agreement between the dual isotope and ileal balance methods varied among AAs and depended on the protein source.
Further research is needed to validate the dual isotope method.