Whey versus Casein!
The battle of the dairy protein supplements.
Arguably the two best-selling protein supplements on the market, it’s finally time to pit
them in a fight for the ages!
But… if you were expecting some sort of brutal and intense showdown, I’m afraid
you’ll be… disappointed.
Let’s take a closer look at our protein powerhouses originating from our belly busting
bovine buddies.
Both are considered complete proteins, containing all the essential amino acids we humans need,
and both are easily digested, where about 97% of all the protein in it will be absorbed
by the body.
It’s no coincidence that these two protein brothers have become mighty popular among
fitness circles.
But, even though they share similar properties, they don’t exactly share the same benefits.
In fact, if you have ever been scrounging the internet forums or punching in your Google
searches, you’ll come to realize that there are two key differences between whey and casein.
One, is their digestion rate.
Whey is considered the faster acting protein, touted for reaching the bloodstream quicker
and elevating blood amino acid levels much higher.
But, it begins to dissipate roughly 3 hours after ingestion.
Casein, the slow-acting protein, theoretically reaches the bloodstream slower due to its
curdling effect and release smaller amounts of protein over time.
The benefit, though, is that the protein will be in the bloodstream for much longer, almost
8 hours after the fact.
The other difference is indeed their protein profile.
Although whey and casein are both complete proteins, they don’t share the same amount
of these essential amino acids.
The most important is the muscle growth promoting leucine.
Whey naturally has much more leucine, which *should* help you build more muscle.
But, casein protein has more muscle preserving properties.
So, both protein supplements are better than the other in two aspects of building muscle:
Increasing muscle protein synthesis, where whey takes the cake.
And decreasing muscle protein breakdown, where casein holds the crown.
As we can see, there are glaring differences between the two protein powders.
But, does it even really matter?
Now studies do clearly show that whey spikes amino acid levels much higher.
But one thing that’s not entirely true is whey reportedly reaching the blood stream
quicker, which can be important.
Muscle protein synthesis is stimulated for a short period of time after an intense workout.
To capitalize on this, bodybuilders believe they have to make sure they get protein immediately!
Studies show that whey gets to the bloodstream roughly an hour after digestion, and that’s
pretty fast.
But casein has been shown to get to the bloodstream just as fast as whey.
The obvious difference is that whey spikes protein levels much much higher.
So, with this fact, and the fact that muscle protein synthesis is stimulated significantly
after workout, shouldn’t whey still be the winner?
Well, no, not exactly.
Remember that although whey does spike blood amino acid levels very high, it also leaves
the blood very quickly.
And even though exercise stimulates muscle protein synthesis significantly for a short
amount of time after workout, it still remains elevated above baseline for up to 36 hours.
Pair a moderately elevated muscle building stimulus with a moderately releasing protein
such as casein, you’re bound to build muscle just as well as whey.
But how about leucine levels?
Whey does have more, and since leucine is important for muscle growth, shouldn’t whey
clearly be the winner?
Other than the fact that casein also has leucine, and when paired with eating protein from real
food sources should be enough leucine anyway, it still has less than whey on a gram to gram
basis.
But the studies show that casein users actually ended with a higher net leucine balance than
whey users.
But, how can that be?
Remember, casein tends to focus on decreasing protein breakdown.
With a theoretically smaller focus on protein synthesis, casein limits leucine usage, creating
a greater impact on net leucine balance, and possibly saving that leucine to build more
muscle over time.
But let’s look at the actual studies that focus on building muscle.
In almost unanimous fashion, whey undoubtedly does a much better job in increasing muscle
gains in short periods.
But as we start looking at longer studies that spans more than a few weeks, the differences
between the two proteins begin to diminish.
Fact of the matter is, yes, you will benefit from whey more so than casein in short bouts.
But in the long run, it doesn’t really matter which you take.
The ONLY variable that has affected overall muscle gains is the AMOUNT of protein a person
is eating.
Regardless of whether it’s casein or whey, or heck, even other protein supplements to
a degree, net protein consumption is by far the most important factor.
Of course, that changes if you’re focusing on certain athletic sports such as endurance
running or power lifting, where protein timing and digestion rate is critical.
But for all things muscle building related, whey and casein are pretty much equal.
But if I HAD to choose a winner, then I would personally go with whey protein.
It’s less about muscle growth, but more so the fact that it’s usually easier to
consume, has a better taste profile, and usually is less expensive.
These are factors that you should consider as well.
The best choice is really up to preference.
If you’re a whey guy, go whey.
If you love casein, then go with casein.
If you’re au natural and eat only “REAL” food, then more power to you.
Just don’t let the supplement companies make you feel like you have to choose a side.
Come check out my videos where I cover each of these protein supplements more in-depth.
As always, please like and share if you enjoyed the video and don’t forget to subscribe.
Thanks for watching!