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<\/p>\nWalk into any health and nutrition store and you\u2019ll see shelf upon shelf of\u00a0whey protein\u00a0\u2014 and not without good reason. But that doesn\u2019t mean you should overlook whey\u2019s unassuming counterpart, casein protein.<\/p>\n
So what exactly is casein, and how can casein protein powder benefit those looking to recover from a hard workout and build muscle? We\u2019re glad we asked on your behalf!*<\/p>\n
Casein is one of two proteins found in milk. The other is whey.<\/p>\n
When milk is drained of its whey-rich liquid, what\u2019s left are curds, which contain casein. This can be an end product in itself \u2014 i.e., cottage cheese \u2014 or the first step in the process of making other cheeses.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout\u00a080 percent\u00a0of a dairy cow\u2019s milk protein is casein while the other 20 percent of the protein is whey,\u201d says Jonathan Valdez, RDN, CPT, and owner of\u00a0Genki Nutrition.<\/p>\n
Owing to its consistency, casein has also been added to some food products in recent years to help them whip, foam, and thicken better.<\/p>\n
Instead of pitting whey and casein against one another, it\u2019s best to see them as separate proteins that work in their own unique ways. They\u2019re similar on some counts, but distinctly different on others.<\/p>\n
Depending on the brand of protein you buy \u2014 and whether or not other ingredients are added \u2014 casein and whey are fairly identical in their calorie, fat, and protein content.<\/p>\n
And, compared to most plant proteins, casein and whey are complete proteins with the highest protein digestibility rating\u00a0(PDCAAS).<\/p>\n
Being\u00a0complete proteins, casein and whey contain sufficient quantities of the nine\u00a0essential amino acids, so called because we can\u2019t produce them on our own and therefore must consume them in food.<\/p>\n
In a study that pitted whey and casein head to head, both yielded\u00a0statistically significant\u00a0strength gains and improved performance in power and agility tests. The same study found no major differences in the performance-enhancing effects between the two supplements.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough, separately, they have benefits,\u201d Valdez says, \u201cThey work best together in order to improve performance. Collectively, they both appear to improve strength and body composition.\u201d*<\/p>\n
One of the major differences between whey and casein is how fast we digest them.<\/p>\n
\u201cCasein is considered slow-digesting, meaning that absorption in the gut and transport to active tissues is a little slower and sustained compared to other fast-acting proteins,\u201d says\u00a0Brittany Allman, certified strength and conditioning specialist and C.I.S.S.N.<\/p>\n
Whey, on the other hand, doesn\u2019t waste any time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhey, which is acid soluble, is digested and absorbed quickly, which is why it\u2019s commonly prescribed for post-workout,\u201d says Francis Stephens, Ph.D., OzHelp scientific advisor, and associate professor of metabolic and molecular physiology at the University of Nottingham.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0body digests casein more slowly\u00a0because it\u2019s water insoluble and coagulates \u2014 or curdles \u2014 when it comes into contact with water. (Hence Little Miss Muffet\u2019s curds and whey.)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Casein primarily comes in two forms.<\/p>\n
Micellar casein is the purest form of casein, and is generally regarded as the most effective. That\u2019s why it\u2019s the type of casein found in\u00a0Beachbody Performance Recover.<\/p>\n
Hydrolyzed casein protein is a more processed form of micellar casein but doesn\u2019t boast the same slow-digesting benefits. Allman explains that hydrolysis actually makes this type of casein perform similarly to whey.<\/p>\n
Research suggests\u00a0casein can help promote muscle hypertrophy (growth). In the study, subjects found their muscle size improved over a 10-week period that included resistance training.*<\/p>\n
A study focusing on college-age female athletes found that when those athletes supplemented resistance training with casein, it led to \u201csignificant changes in performance and body composition.\u201d*<\/p>\n
Chugging protein shakes to lose weight and then sitting on the couch won\u2019t positively move the scale, but pairing protein supplements with strength training may help you lose fat as you gain muscle.<\/p>\n
In\u00a0the above study, participants experienced a significant decrease in body fat over the course of the eight-week strength training and supplementation period.*<\/p>\n
![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/18110056\/Casein-Protein-600-Post-Workout.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s\u00a0best to consume whey protein\u00a0in the hour before or immediately after a workout, Valdez says, it\u2019s a good idea to take casein protein before bed because it digests slowly.<\/p>\n
Allman agrees, recommending a 20- to 40-gram dose before turning in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t have casein protein powder on hand, there are some whole foods that are high in casein content, as well,\u201d Allman says.<\/p>\n
A glass of milk won\u2019t give you the same 30-gram dose of casein you can get from a protein powder, but you\u2019ll still get some of the slow-digesting protein. Another great, tasty option is 2 percent cottage cheese, which has far more protein than milk (about 24 grams per cup), the vast majority of which is casein protein.<\/p>\n
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Walk into any health and nutrition store and you\u2019ll see shelf upon shelf of\u00a0whey protein\u00a0\u2014 and not without good reason. But that doesn\u2019t mean you should overlook whey\u2019s unassuming counterpart, casein protein. So what exactly is casein, and how can casein protein powder benefit those looking to recover from a hard workout and build muscle? […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2192,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2267\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}