Whey vs. Casein Protein - helpful info

nseuell

I frequently hear the various pros and cons to each one of these proteins and ran across an article in HERS magazine that I thought was simple and clear, in case any others are confused:

WHEY:
Whey is one of milk's two proteins. Whey's primary characteristic is its digestibility. Once in the body, it breaks down quickly, swiftly sending its aminos to muscle tissue. This is beneficial because there are certain times of day (first thing in the morning, before and after workouts) when the lean whole-foods proteins normally recommended (eggs, chicken breast, lean steak, fish) digest too slowly to be effective. But whey doesn't deliver only protein. It contains peptides (protein fragments) that have been shown to increase blood flow to muscles, which is particularly helpful before workouts, so that muscles will receive more oxygen, nutrients, and hormones right when they need them.

RECOMMENDATION: Take 20 grams of whey protein (mixed in water) first thing upon waking, within 30 minutes before workouts and within 30 minutes after training. And you can always have a scoop as a snack between meals.

CASEIN:
The other of milk's two proteins. Though they come from the same place, whey and casein couldn't be more different. Casein is extremely slow to digest, whic means it provides a steady stream of aminos over a span of several hours. That makes it ideal for certain time periods, like right before bed, when your body is about to go without food for seven to eight hours. In fact, one study performed by the Wider Research Group found that when subjects took casein protein before bed, they gained more muscle than those who took casein in the morning. Another study found that when subjects consumed a mix of whey and casein after workouts, they had improved muscle growth as compared to subjects who took just whey.

RECOMMENDATION: Take 20 g of casein right before bed. Also consider combining 10g of casein with 10 g of whey in your post workout shake.

JennLifts

What if you consume dairy in the morning instead of a supplement??? Equal?

mynameisuntz

It doesn't matter when you drink which type of shake. You can drink casein 2 hours post-workout or whey 30 minutes post-workout and your results will be EXACTLY the same.

nseuell

What if you consume dairy in the morning instead of a supplement??? Equal?

That is what I was thinking about trying - since it seems to be that milk contains BOTH proteins... worth experimenting, I think! p90X always recommends chocolate milk post workout.

JennLifts

What if you consume dairy in the morning instead of a supplement??? Equal?

That is what I was thinking about trying - since it seems to be that milk contains BOTH proteins... worth experimenting, I think! p90X always recommends chocolate milk post workout.

PHEW I thought I was going to sound like a huge snob lol. Yea, I mean, i eat greek yogurt every morning, not to mention I'd say natural is always better than something that has gone through some kind of processing eh? I take 4-6 whey scoops a day LOL but just came to me! And, I didn't know casein was a milk protein :-p

TK421NotAtPost

I frequently hear the various pros and cons to each one of these proteins and ran across an article in HERS magazine that I thought was simple and clear, in case any others are confused:

WHEY:
Whey is one of milk's two proteins. Whey's primary characteristic is its digestibility. Once in the body, it breaks down quickly, swiftly sending its aminos to muscle tissue. This is beneficial because there are certain times of day (first thing in the morning, before and after workouts) when the lean whole-foods proteins normally recommended (eggs, chicken breast, lean steak, fish) digest too slowly to be effective. But whey doesn't deliver only protein. It contains peptides (protein fragments) that have been shown to increase blood flow to muscles, which is particularly helpful before workouts, so that muscles will receive more oxygen, nutrients, and hormones right when they need them.

RECOMMENDATION: Take 20 grams of whey protein (mixed in water) first thing upon waking, within 30 minutes before workouts and within 30 minutes after training. And you can always have a scoop as a snack between meals.

CASEIN:
The other of milk's two proteins. Though they come from the same place, whey and casein couldn't be more different. Casein is extremely slow to digest, whic means it provides a steady stream of aminos over a span of several hours. That makes it ideal for certain time periods, like right before bed, when your body is about to go without food for seven to eight hours. In fact, one study performed by the Wider Research Group found that when subjects took casein protein before bed, they gained more muscle than those who took casein in the morning. Another study found that when subjects consumed a mix of whey and casein after workouts, they had improved muscle growth as compared to subjects who took just whey.

RECOMMENDATION: Take 20 g of casein right before bed. Also consider combining 10g of casein with 10 g of whey in your post workout shake.

Thanks for posting that nseuell. I always enjoy downing my tall glass of Muscle Milk right after working out.