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How To Pick The Right Protein



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Old 03-29-2006, 05:46 PM
Darkhorse Darkhorse is offline
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Default How To Pick The Right Protein

I know Sleezy will love this. I'm using Trueprotein.com as an example as well as the standard. I'm opening this thread to discuss different ideas of what would be some good custom proteins. Anyone feel free to chyme in. I think it would be a good idea to open this thread about all the different kinds of protein out there and what would be a good choice depending on what someone would want it for.

I've been trying to come up with some good custom blends to suit my needs. Here are the categories that I feel are most important: (in order)

1. Pre/Postworkout Formula
2. Nighttime Formula
3. MRP or Daytime formula


Of course I'm going to say that 90% of anyone's protein needs should come from whole foods albiet eggs, meat, poultry. But, a lot of members here aren't 180 lbs. either! I'm 260 currently, and I don't think it's particularly easy to eat strictly whole foods to meet my needs. My daily goal is to hit 400 grams per day. That means if I eat 50 grams of protein per meal, I'll need 8 meals to consume. Hypothetically, if I'm only awake for around 14 hours, that means I need to eat every 1 hour, 45 minutes. I just don't have that kind of money to spend on groceries. :17:

This company seems like the best one I've seen for protein needs. I personally don't like big name company proteins because they're too expensive for what you get. On 100% whey has been the best out of all of them for me, but...If you compare the ingredients in a 5 lb container to TP's whey isolate (cold filtration), the difference you spend on TP's won't be a lot.

ON 100% whey (5 lb)= $28
TP isolate (5 lb)= $34

The difference is with TP's you got 100% isolate whereas with ON's, you're getting a lot of concentrate along with isolate. Follow my thinking?

Feel free to input anything. Studies, descriptions, ect.. Everyone I'm sure knows about that.
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Last edited by Darkhorse; 03-29-2006 at 06:23 PM.
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Old 03-29-2006, 06:20 PM
Darkhorse Darkhorse is offline
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All descriptions were made by either trueprotein.com or proteinfactory.com

1. Pre/Postworkout Formula

- The first thing to think about is how many days you're working out. Pretty simple. For me, I workout three days a week. So, that's only 12 days every month. Next is how much you're willing to spend. I prefer to order every month. This way I don't pay a ton of money all at once.

- Next step is what form of whey to use...Of course whey is the protein of choice. Here are the different kinds of isolate:

Quote:
Ion-Exchange Isolate: (Expensive-$8.88 per lb) The extraction process leaves the final product almost all protein, around 96% protein. Manufactured from fresh, sweet dairy whey. Using the ion-exchange process the proteins are separated on the basis of their electrical charge. The extraction works by controlling the electrical charge on the proteins using chemical reagents. The electrical charge on the proteins attaches them to resins in the reaction vessel. The product contains the proteins beta-lactoglobumin and alpha-lactalbumin. It is instantized and mixes very easily with a spoon. It is also fat and lactose free.

Microfiltration: ($7.99 per lb) The extraction process leaves the final product almost all protein, around 92% protein. Mircofiltration uses a more natural way of extracting protein through filters. Microfiltration Isolates are left with more calcium and give the user the highest level of undenatured protein available. These filters allow the protein to be removed from the unwanted fat, lactose and the like. Microfiltration Isolate is virtually fat free and lactose (sugar) free.

Coldfiltration: ($6.89 per lb) Using the Cold-Filtration method, the overall protein is said to only be 0-3% denatured, in comparison to other proteins that can be denatured up to 15%. Whey Protein Isolate Cold-Filtration is very high in bioactive whey protein fractions, including immunoglobulin, lactoferrin and glycomacropeptides. Whey Protein Isolate Cold-Filtration is derived from whey protein concentrate, but ultimately from sweet dairy whey. Isolates, Cold-Filtration, Microfiltration and Ion-Exchange, are protein powders that are the next steps to further process whey protein concentrate. The Cold-Filtration process is a procedure of separating the proteins through the use of micro filtering the mass all while using a cold or “chilled” process (environment). These filters allow the protein to be removed from the unwanted fat, lactose and the like. Cold-Filtration Isolate is virtually fat free and lactose (sugar) free.

Hydrolyzed Whey: is enzymatically partially digested protein. This hydrolyzing process splits proteins in to smaller chain peptides and amino acids, di and tri peptides. This in turn makes the end product more biologically accessible to the user. Hydrolyzed whey is the most digestible source of whey protein. This process of hydrolysis allows the protein to be absorbed quickly through the small intestine. More than half (up to 80%) of the protein ingested bypasses the stomach and is absorbed into the small intestine, allowing the greatest potential for lean muscle tissue. Studies have also shown that hydrolyzed proteins with short chain amino acids (di and tri peptides) can increase IGF-1.
- For me, aside from pre/postworkout, I'm also going to take a serving when I wake up. Reason being that when you are asleep, you're in a semi-catabolic (starved) state, so I want something fast absorbing. So, I want 5 total servings on workout days (1 morning, 2 pre, 2 post), 1 serving on non-workout days (morning). That would require around 78 servings a month, if a month is 30 days. If every pound has 15 servings, I'd need 6 lbs per month of isolate..Mathematically 5.2 I'm leaning towards cold filtration with maybe 10% hydro in there. What do you guys think? :240:

Last edited by Darkhorse; 03-29-2006 at 10:54 PM.
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Old 03-29-2006, 06:43 PM
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2. Nighttime Formula

- Obviously something with casein, egg, or both. Here are the different descriptions:

Quote:
Micellar Casein: (Expensive-$10.50 per lb) is derived from milk protein isolate. The process of extraction is a natural and gental removal of all whey protein peptides, which leaves you with a pure Micellar Casein. Micellar Casein is a newer protein product, the process of manufacturing is only a few years old. You will not see many big name manufacturers using this product, mainly because it hurts their bottom line (to expensive). This protein powder can be considered the best of the best and the purest when coming to caseinate proteins. Micellar Casein is completely undenatured and is chock full of sub-fractions and growth factors. This is great for overall muscle tissue repair and helps greatly in recovery. Since Micellar Casein is a caseinate, absorption is slower than whey products, therefore this is a great protein that has anti-catabolic properties as well.

Milk Protein Isolate: ($6.79 per lb) Milk Protein Isolate provides the user with a quick burst of amino acids (whey) as well as a longer lasting, slow digesting protein (casein). Users with find this product possesses a great combination of anabolic and anticatabolic properties.

Calcium Caseinate: ($6.79) Calcium Caseinate protein is extracted from casein through acidification, which in turn, provides the user with a slow digesting protein. This slow digesting time leads to anti-catabolic properties and gives the user a feeling of being fuller longer. Calcium Caseinate, like our other fresh skim milk derived proteins is very high in glutamine, an amino acid essential to muscle building.

Egg White Protein: ($7.49) True Protein’s Egg White Protein is derived from chicken egg whites. It is processed by removing the yolk and then converting the egg white product in powdered form. Many individuals love this product because it allows them to intake more eggs than their body usually allows. Egg White protein gauges very high on the protein effeciancy rating (P.E.R) a 3.9 out of 4.0. Egg White Protein provides an excellent combination and profile of amino acids. Egg White Protein also possesses a high level of sulfur which is essential to various hormonal pathways within the body. This increased production of anabolic hormones leads to increased muscle mass.
The following is an article about milk protein from proteinfactory.com:

Quote:
Caseinates, the good, the bad, and the ugly

The Proteinfactory has always been the #1 source for protein knowledge and revelations. Thus, we hope when we give you this knowledge and information you can convert that wealth of information into your supplement regime which will yield new muscle growth. The better understanding of the protein sources you use, equates to a better understanding of how to use those protein sources for greater muscle gains. For example, the basic use of a whey isolate over a whey concentrate will theoretically yield better results because it has a higher biological value, higher protein subfraction contents (Grow factors especially) and over all a higher amino acid profile on gram for gram basis. Thus this leads me to the topic of this article "the difference of the Caseinates. Caseinates can be manufactured into several varieties. Such as calcium caseinate, potassium caseinate, sodium caseinate, fresh curd caseinate, and micellar casein. In this article I will discuss calcium caseinate, fresh curd caseinate and micellar casein. Is it important you know the differences between them? Yes. Each product is different and can effect how much progress you make with your protein supplement.

Casein starts from skim milk solids. Out of these skim milk solids come the proteins whey and casein. Skim milk solids are 80% casein, 20% whey, lactose, and minerals. Manufacturers then add hydrochloric acid to the skim milk to reach the desired ph levels which will separate the specified proteins. (whey and casein). Then the manufacturers begin the processes which turn the casein into their specified products.

The first type of casein to discuss is calcium caseinate. Out of the three types discussed in this article it is the lowest quality version. Calcium caseinate is the most common and most well know source of casein. Calcium caseinate is made by first washing and drying the casein which makes it an acid casein. This process begins to denature the protein. The acid casein is then put into bags and shipped to the United States for further processing. The US manufacturers then continue the process to make calcium caseinate by washing it and drying it again then applying the necessary salts which further denatures the protein and hence left with their final products.

If you have ever tasted calcium caseinate you would know that it taste pretty bad. It has a chalky mildewy taste. That is because of the calcium caseinate has been washed and dried twice and possesses that acidic application. Doesn't sound too good does it. Noted that I will soon post a comparison chart of denaturization of the three types.

Next is Fresh Curd caseinate. Fresh curd is not a new type of casein. Fresh curd has been around for a while but has never been used in the supplement industry. Why? Because it is a tad more expensive than calcium caseinate. Besides that the cosmetic term "Fresh Curd" does not appear to have a pretty bodybuilding sound to it. Having to do with Proteinfactory.com this will be the "new" version of caseinate. Hopefully it will be one to replace calcium caseinate for those seeking a less undenatured version of caseinate. Fresh Curd caseinate goes through the processing as calcium caseinate, thus making it as undenatured. Instead of the caseinate being washed and dried twice it is only washes and dried once. The caseinate is never brought to an acid state. Instead the casein is converted into a wet "curd", has an akali added to it, then dried and the final product is then fresh curd caseinate. The product is very white looking instead of a cream look that calcium caseinate has. Fresh curd also tastes much better than calcium caseinate.

Third and final version is micellar casein. Micellar casein is the highest quality version. With micellar casein washing and drying techniques are not used. Filtration methods similar to whey are used. Thus leaving the casein undenatured. Micellar casein is called "micellar" because the collolidal suspensions in milk are tiny 'Bubbles" This bubble is called "micelle".

Micellar casein is a super high quality protein. Bodybuilders will benefit the most from this version of casein because of the level of undenatured product versus the previous mentioned caseinates, and secondly the level of biological value. (note that a BV comparison chart will soon be posted of the 3 types of casein's. To be sure you are getting Micellar Casein as the protein manufacturer to tell you what country it comes from. If they cant give you an answer and supply you with the Certificate of Analysis then it is just regular calcium caseinate.

Which products should you choose for best muscle growth? If your looking for an inexpensive anti-catabolic protein, then you would think to go with calcium caseinate. But keep in mind that you are losing and potential bioactive peptides because of the highly denatured version of caseinate your using. You are still getting an anti-catabolic effect but at what cost?If you are concerned about denatured protein but still don't want to spend the money on micellar, then you go with fresh curd caseinate. Not only will you be getting a better quality protein but you will get a better tasting mix.

Micellar casein is your top of the line protein. Micellar casein is not a new protein. Micellar has been around as long as calcium caseinate. It just was not marketed as Micellar Casein until a few years ago. I believe the first supplement company to use Micellar Casein was Dr. Scott Connelly from Met-Rx. Back in the early 90's when his first Met-Rx packs came out he was using a combination of milk protein (which he could have called Micellar Casein)whey and egg. He was actually one of the first to use Micellar. I then saw the term "Micellar" used back in 1998 when a protein broker first coined the term "Micellar".

Getting back to the use of Micellar caseinI think for ectomorphs especially it is vitally important because of its anti-catabolic effect. Ectomorphs I believe, have a higher potential to go into a catabolic state. Ectomorphs higher metabolism eats up protein and calories, quickly oxidizing amino acids, and drops them into the catabolic state. Using whey protein only will result in this condition very easily. In research studies it has shown that whey protein can elevate bloodstream amino acids quickly, but can just as quickly drop AA count in the blood leading to the catabolic state. Hence ectomorphs should use the micellar casein. Micellar casein has been shown in studies to stay in the bloodstream for up to 7hrs, thus creating a prolonged anti-catabolic effect. This in turn can let the ectomorph train harder and longer and not have to worry about protein every 2 hours or the dangers of going catabolic. To point out why the anti-catabolic effect is so important you can compare it with the anti-catabolic effect of anabolic steroids. Some theorize that it is the steroids strong anti-catabolic effect that leads to muscle growth and not so much the anabolic effect. The anti-catabolic effect creates a longer window for muscle growth in the body instead of short anabolic stint.

But you ask should I use just micellar casein alone then? My answer is a definite NO!. The one bad thing about the caseins, including micellar, is that they do not possess any growth factors, such as Insulin like growth factors and transferring growth factors. That is one reason, theoretically of course, whey protein ( especially the CFM) works to grow muscle. Whey has a high level of these growth factors and caseins do not. A 50/50 mixture of micellar casein and whey isolate would be one suggestion.
I'm leaning towards an 40/40/20 mixture of Egg/Milk Isolate/Whey Isolate. Only one scoop every night when I don't have time to eat my cottage cheese. Seems to be pretty cheap that way.
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Old 03-29-2006, 07:07 PM
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Aminogen is another option to exercise that would be a very good addition to the customized protein. Here's a good description from proteinfactory.com:

Aminogen FAQ's

Aminogen is a patented enzyme system that liberates free form amino acids from any protein-containing food. Now some might ask…What is an enzyme? An enzyme is a bioactive polypeptide coded to break down a specific substrate. In this case, it breaks protein down to free-form amino acids. Since your body cannot naturally digest all the protein, Aminogen has the ability to release more amino acids from the protein than the action of the digestive enzymes alone. What is the big deal? Amino Acids are necessary building blocks of all proteins- commonly referred to as muscle food.

The following are types of Amino Acids released by Aminogen:

Glutamine: which is known to have an affect on body composition, regulation of body weight AND the immune system. Glutamine Peptides also help in injury recovery

Branched Chain Amino Acids: Isoleucine, Leucine and Valine- known to promote protein synthesis, serve as muscle fuel, combat fatigue and strengthen the immune system. BCAA’s are found in every source of protein.

Arginine: known to have a positive effect on weight loss and body fat loss, as well as, serve as a precursor for creatine which may increase the size and strength of muscle.

Lysine: known to release growth hormones

How does Aminogen Work?

A. Aminogen works its best when you are on a high protein diet. According to the RDA a high protein diet is anything over 56 g of protein per day based on a 150 pound person. Again, Aminogen, as defined above, works with your body and on the protein in your digestive system to make more free amino acids available for use by the body.

Why do I need these proteins broken down into amino acids?

Many athletes ingest higher amounts of protein in attempt to supply additional amino acids for the building and repair of muscle tissue. Others rely on ingesting large amounts of amino acids supplements.

Where do these free amino acids go after they are released?

The free amino acids released by Aminogen circulate to perform vital functions in the body, such as building muscles, resulting in body compositional change.

What is the advantage of taking Aminogen over other digestive enzyme-based supplements?

By taking Aminogen with your high protein diet you are enabling your body to absorb more free amino acids from the protein you ingest to build muscle, increase lean body mass, decrease body fat and support vital body functions. 8 Ultimately, you are eliminating the need to ingest other free form amino acid supplements that are not natural, work slower and cost more money.

Who will benefit from taking Aminogen?

Anyone who is on a high protein diet and interested in getting the highest amount of amino acids from the protein they eat in order to build the body. You do not have t be a body builder to benefit from Aminogen. If your protein needs are great, or if you are required to control your protein intake, Aminogen will maximize the benefits of the protein you eat.

What is the scientific support for Aminogen?

Controlled laboratory studies consisting of a simulated human gastrointestinal model have demonstrated that 42% more free form amino acids were released with Aminogen at a dose of 250 mg per 100 g of protein.

Animal studies have shown that by taking Aminogen (50 mg/1 g of protein), you will achieve 20% more free form amino acids in the bloodstream while taking Aminogen than by your natural digestive secretions alone.

Is Aminogen all natural?

Yes.

What product forms are available in Aminogen?

Powder.

When do I take Aminogen?

You should take Aminogen immediately before or after you ingest protein.

Are there any side effects of Aminogen?

The only side effect is less gas.
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Old 03-29-2006, 07:10 PM
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I'm using a Hydrolyzed Whey (Maximus Natural Sport Whey Protein $15/5lb at the local supermarket ). I usually get about 300-320 grams of protein a day. I only take shakes for pre/post workout since I can eat most of my protein from food. I'm taking one pre-workout shake, one during the workout (half a shake halfway through the workout and the other half at the end), and one post, and only on lifting days.
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Old 03-29-2006, 08:46 PM
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A good thread over at intensemuscle detailing recommended custom protein mixes can be found by clicking here.

It's a very good guide made by Massive G. His mixes are IMO the best, but are very pricey. For instance:

Quote:
Originally Posted by MassiveG
Prior to bed
Nightitme protein blend of
50% Micellar Casein
30 % Egg white Protein
20 % Whey ion X
Too expensive for me! Maybe milk isolate might be a good to add in, 40/10 isolate and micellar casein..

Last edited by Darkhorse; 03-29-2006 at 11:13 PM.
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Old 03-29-2006, 11:51 PM
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Nighttime Formula:

I was just comparing TP to protein factory and it seems that protein factory has better pricing for this customized formula. I used the same amounts for both:

40% Milk Isolate
40% Egg White
10% Micellar Casein
10% Isolate

TrueProtein: 15 servings per pound at about 25 grams of protein. I'd need 2 servings every night. So 4 lbs priced at $29.80.

Proteinfactory: 9 servings per pound at 43 grams of protein. I'd need only 1 serving every night. So 3 lbs priced at $23.25.

I think this is substantial when you also include shipping and handling as well. I'm not sure about any other companies besides these two.

Other than that, everything else seems to be about the same in regards to pricing. For example, if you look at whey isolate ion exchange, you'll see that TP is $8.88 and PF is $9.09 per pound. Twenty cents isn't going to break the bank in this case, but, TP's the best choice here if you choose to buy in bulk. If you got the money to spend, the pricing keeps dropping every 10 lbs. When everything's said and done, it boils down to reputation. I know Sleazy can talk about TP, and I'm pretty sure SDF has ordered from PF in the past because I remember him raving about their p12 creatine. Either way, buying straight from companies like these are far and beyond better than buying mixes from companies that use fillers at a higher price.
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Old 03-30-2006, 12:19 AM
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Complements of Slayer, the following is a link to a test done by Bulk Nutrition of Protein Factory label claims...Keep in mind that this test was done 4 years ago, and I'm sure PF must've heard about it and fixed the problem:

http://www.labelclaimstesting.com/?pageID=5&mp=10&
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Old 03-30-2006, 05:31 AM
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Quote:
But you ask should I use just micellar casein alone then? My answer is a definite NO!. The one bad thing about the caseins, including micellar, is that they do not possess any growth factors, such as Insulin like growth factors and transferring growth factors. That is one reason, theoretically of course, whey protein ( especially the CFM) works to grow muscle. Whey has a high level of these growth factors and caseins do not. A 50/50 mixture of micellar casein and whey isolate would be one suggestion.
I haven't gone over this whole thing, but that caught my eye. I know that statement is from Protein Factory....as far as I know, a whey ISOLATE does not contain any of these "growth factors". Except maybe the micro-filtered ones like the CFM (Cross-Flow Microfiltered) mentioned. But not just any isolate.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MassiveG
20 % Whey ion X
I would recommend against an Ion Exchanged whey. Highest concentration of protein, yes, but it loses a lot of the smaller peptides and quite frankly, I don't think it's worth the extra cost. I would go with a micro-filtered for various reasons. The actual protein difference isn't all that significant, especially considering that there is less potential in the micro-filtered types for the protein to be denatured and it can be a more "complete whey" and perhaps more biologically active. I'm not sure about hydrosolates. I think it's mostly hype based on one rat study and all the technology isn't created equal with the older tecniques heavily damaging the protein.

The idea of most isolates is that they're mostly all protein, but they can contain various amounts of sub-fractions depending on whether they're ion-exchanged (as high as 70% of Beta-lactoglobulin, most allergenic and least beneficial) or micro-filtereds, which can supposedly be made unique according to the manufacturer and the filtering technolodgy used (at least 9 or 10 different techniques).
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If you act sanctimonious I will just list out your logical fallacies until you get pissed off and spew blasphemous remarks.

Last edited by EricT; 03-30-2006 at 08:08 AM.
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Old 03-30-2006, 06:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 0311
Feel free to input anything. Studies, descriptions, ect.. Everyone I'm sure knows about that.
Your sure? I could put in a TON of stuff!

Here is Lyle McDonald's Protein Articles which I posted before in DR X's Protein thread.

Something on whey and casein and where this fast vs. slow stuff came from:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lyle McDonald
]A recent paper (6) has kicked off an entirely new category/fad of protein nutrition and marketing, that of fast versus slow dietary proteins. This idea is conceptually similar to the glycemic index (GI) concept which is applied to carbohydrates, and represents the speed at which they digest and affect blood glucose and insulin levels.

In this study, healthy subjects with a normal protein intake (16% of total calories) were fasted for 10 hours and then given either 30 grams of whey protein or 30 grams of casein (milk) protein. The primary finding of the study was that whey protein caused blood leucine levels (which are used as a marker of a variety of metabolic processes in the body) to increase rapidly, hitting a peak in 1 hour. However leucine levels decreased equally rapidly returning to normal by 4 hours. In contrast, casein caused a much slower rise in blood leucine levels, reaching a lower peak around 1 hour, but maintained that level for almost 7 hours (see figure 1).

Additionally, the researchers found that whey protein stimulated protein synthesis (which refers to the building of larger proteins from individual AAs) with no effect on protein breakdown (which refers to the breakdown of larger proteins to individual AAs), while the casein inhibited protein breakdown without affecting protein synthesis. Another observation was that whey protein increased leucine oxidation (burning) slightly more than the casein (31% vs. 24%), probably due to the faster rate of entry. Finally, leucine balance (determined as the amount ingested versus the amount stored) was higher for casein than whey. These observations lend themselves to multiple interpretations.

On the one hand, the effects on protein synthesis and breakdown are interesting and it appears that whey is an 'anabolic' protein while casein is 'anti-catabolic' protein, at least over a span of 7 hours. However, body leucine stores are also important for a variety of reasons and it could be argued that casein is superior in that it led to net leucine retention by the body. I'm sure that how the study is interpreted will depend on whether the person who is interpreting it wants to sell whey, casein or a blend of the two.

This one study has already generated an article in the prestigious journal Nature (7) as well as in several bodybuilding magazines, with authors suggesting that whey and casein can be used to elicit differential physiological effects and spur growth. Protein supplements containing mixes of the so-called fast and slow proteins have also appeared on the market, with the idea being that one can get increased protein synthesis AND decreased protein breakdown, as well as keeping blood AA levels more stable.

To say that too much has been read into this single study would be putting it mildly. There are a number of issues which have been completely ignored by those reporting on this article which are discussed here. The first and perhaps most important point is that the subjects were fasted for 10 hours prior to being given the protein supplements. Protein synthesis and breakdown rates are very different after a 10 hour fast compared to the rates in the middle of the day after food has been eaten. After an overnight fast, muscle protein synthesis rates may be 50% lower than after food has been consumed (8). This means that any effects from a protein meal would be expected to be much higher first thing in the morning, versus a similar comparison done at a different time of the day.
Additionally, it is well known that the mixing of nutrients (i.e. carbohydrates and protein or carbohydrates, protein and fat) changes the absorption rate of nutrients into the bloodstream (1). Similarly, the presence of undigested food from a previous meal also affects digestion rate. All this study tells us is what will happen when whey or casein is taken by itself, after a 10 hour fast, on an empty stomach. To draw meaningful conclusions from this study to what might happen with the consumption of whey or casein with dietary fat (i.e. flax oil in the blender drink) or carbohydrates, or to other times of the day is impossible.

A final unanswered question is where the protein synthesized during the whey trial was stored (7). That is, the methodology of the study only told the researchers that protein was being synthesized and stored, not where it was going. This is, in fact, a major problem with most human protein research: it is generally difficult to know where stored protein is going unless a biopsy is taken. Since the goal of bodybuilders is to influence muscle protein synthesis, and not just increase whole body protein synthesis, it is important to know where the ingested protein is going.

Sufficed to say that it is just as reasonable to assume that it was being stored as liver protein as it is to assume it was being stored as muscle protein. Of course, saying that whey will increase liver protein synthesis won't sell a lot of supplements.

As a final comment, most serious bodybuilders eat a protein containing meal every 2-3 hours as it is. Since blood leucine didn't drop until the 4 hour mark in the whey trial, is it going to make a huge difference whether a bodybuilder consumes whey or milk protein if they are eating every 3 hours? And if casein keeps blood leucine levels up for 7 hours, and whole proteins take even longer to fully digest, is it truly necessary to ingest protein every 3 hours during the day?

Some have suggested consuming a mix of whey and casein right before bedtime to get a sustained release of AA's into the bloodstream and there may be some validity to this. Of course, any whole protein, combined with some carbs, fat and fiber would accomplish just as much.

A final question that this study raises has to do with the post-workout protein feeding. Consider that even the whey protein took 1 hour to raise blood leucine levels to it's peak. If the idea is to provide AAs to a recovering muscle immediately after training, it might make more sense to consume protein an hour or two before the workout, so that AAs are hitting the bloodstream as the workout is ending.
Now, just as one shouldn't read too much into that single study, don't read too much into the article. If you can afford a casein supplement it's certainly not going to hurt you just like cottage cheese before bed is not a bad idea either. Just don't go thinking that it's a miracle or indispensable supplement if you're on a limited budget.

As for the last paragraph, you definitely should be doing something PRE and POST workout.

Last edited by EricT; 03-30-2006 at 06:51 AM.
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