How To Build Muscles: Whey And Casein Proteins Compared

Milk Protein Components Whey and casein constitute at least 90 percent of a cow’s milk protein content. There are also numerous peptides and proteins contained in both whey and casein. You should realize whey and casein proteins have contrasting properties. Here is an explanation of the difference between the properties of whey and casein proteins. The incredible properties of whey and casein are only accessible if the processing of the initial milk protein is done correctly. The proteins should not be wiped out nor should the active peptides be lost. The processing of milk can be completed in a few various ways to separate out the casein and whey from the other milk elements. Protein Hydrolysates Proteins like whey and casein can be hydrolyzed, or broken into smaller parts, by enzymes that create minute chains of amino acids named peptides. This procedure copies our own digestive feats. This means hydrolysis is a perfect way to process protein while manufacturers are cautious not to denature it. Once hydrolyzed, these undenatured peptides have several advantages above protein sources from whole foods. The gastrointestinal tract favors peptides to whole proteins or amino acids; hydrolyzed proteins are more effortlessly broken down and absorbed into the blood stream than whole protein sources. In actuality, hydrolyzed proteins may be digested in about one half the time that it would take free form amino acids or whole proteins. This means a quicker distribution into the body, above all when it is desirable most, for example after weight training exercises. Whey or Casein: Is One Better Than the Other? Whey and casein have not only dissimilar bioactive peptides, they also have significant physical differences. Essentially, the amino acids and peptides from whey protein enter into your bloodstream rapidly while casein amino acids and peptides “clot” and consequently are much more slowly absorbed. Casein subsequently takes more time to enter the blood stream than whey. But being quicker isn’t automatically better. What do these differences in digestion and absorption entail? The amino acids and peptides from whey will quickly enter the blood. And these fast increases in blood amino acids cause a rapid and brief boost in protein synthesis. Research claims that after eating whey protein, blood amino acids increase and then go back to normal around two hours after ingestion. While this does kindle protein synthesis, it has no impression on decelerating protein breakdown. The calculation between protein synthesis and protein breakdown decides muscle addition. Conversely, casein causes the reverse result. The slow transport of casein will cause a minute but continual increase in blood amino acids over a period of time believed to be at least 420 minutes. This does drastically decrease protein breakdown. Athletes who eat once per two to three hours likely will not see a divergence between the two kinds of protein, because the only variations in protein balance were observed after seven hours. At the two-hour point, they were equal. Interestingly, a study was done contrasting body composition and strength modifications in dieting overweight people supplementing their diets with 75 grams of either a mostly casein milk protein mix or a whey only protein mix. The casein group lost nearly 6.5 pounds more fat and put on almost 4.5 pounds more muscle than the whey only group. Also, the casein set had a 31 percent increase over the whey only set in muscle power. These are fairly large differences and follow-up tests demonstrated that casein supplementation brought about the recovery of lean mass and muscle function two times as quickly as whey supplementation. This can be explained by:

The slow pace of digestion and absorption of the casein protein
Casein protein may support better protein balance after a while
The active peptide parts of casein proteins caused anabolic and anti-catabolic results

I’d recommend a combination of whey and casein to provide the anabolic and anti-catabolic advantages of both proteins, and all the bioactive peptides of both. A protein blend of milk protein isolates, whey isolates, and casein will most likely provide the best possible grouping when attempting to gain muscle.

How To Build Muscles: Whey And Casein Proteins Compared

Article by Jacob Hiller