Whey Protein Vs Casein Protein – The Ultimate Guide
Well, here’s our ultimate guide to the pros and cons for both Whey and Casein proteins and what trade-offs you’ll have to make when you choose one over the other.
Many people in the fitness community are trying to understand whether they should focus on supplementing with whey protein or casein protein. Some people might just decide to split the difference and take both.
However, if it turns out that one type of protein is objectively better, even the people who literally try to have it both ways are going to be shortchanging themselves. The truth is worth contemplating and analyzing, because it is as complicated as people might expect.
As is often the case in situations like this, whey and casein protein are both going to be better in some ways as opposed to others. One of them is not objectively better than the other in every circumstance. Obviously, the two of them are not precisely equal, and it is important for people to avoid thinking that everything is all at the same level with an equal set of positives and negatives. However, whey and casein protein do have positive and negative qualities.
However, there is a middle ground that lets you enjoy the best of both worlds.
Whey and Casein Protein at a Glance
Casein Protein
- Stops Muscle Loss
- Burns Fat
- Increases Metabolic Rate
- Consume Before Meals and Bed
Whey Protein
- Promotes Muscle Growth and Recovery
- Promotes Protein Synthesis
- BCAA Rich
- Consume Around Workouts
Casein Protein
Casein is about eighty percent milk protein by composition. Some people are going to enjoy it for its natural qualities. Other people are going to enjoy the fact that this is protein that they are going to be getting through their diets anyway in some cases. One way or another, the people who are in training are better off when it comes to supplementing.
People who are trying to stop muscle loss are certainly advised to consume more casein protein. This is particularly important for older people, many of whom are going to be losing muscle as a matter of course anyway. Casein protein can create a sustained anabolic environment, and this is only going to help when it comes to promoting overall muscle growth.
Muscle depletion can be a problem when it comes to cardiovascular exercise in general, and so this is something that people are going to need to take into account if they are interested in cardiovascular exercise and the related training. Casein protein supplements can counteract that.
Casein protein supplements are also useful for burning fat, and that is typically one of the goals of cardiovascular exercise. People will tend to increase their metabolic rate while they are sleeping if they take casein protein supplements, and this is going to aid in their fat burning efforts tremendously. The sustained anabolic environment that casein creates can also help people when it comes to fat burning in general.
People should consume casein protein before meals and before they go to sleep. This is due to the fact that the metabolic benefits of casein protein are really going to kick in if people decide to consume this supplement prior to meal times. This is a supplement that can raise a person’s metabolism during sleep, and this tends to work better if people consume the supplement just before bed in general.
In order to get the muscular appearance that people will tend to see on fitness magazines, it is important to build muscle and to burn fat. People who just build muscle without burning fat can give themselves a different body shape. They will certainly have the built outline of someone who works out frequently. However, they are not going to have any real muscle definition.
It actually takes a very low body fat percentage in order to make that work for anyone. People who build muscle without burning fat might have the ‘built-fat’ look that is prized by some and that some people might want. However, it is not possible to get a great deal of visible muscle definition without burning fat.
Body-builders have a body fat percentage of less than ten percent. The men on the covers of fitness magazines tend to have body fat percentages that are below twenty percent, and the women on those covers have body fat percentages that are in the twenty to twenty-two percent range of less. Casein protein can help people get that look in particular because it is going to help people hold onto muscle mass while also burning fat.
Taking Both Whey Protein and Casein
Some people might wonder if these two work together than they do individually. The research seems to suggest that this is the case. People are going to be able to enjoy the benefits of both as well as the synergistic benefits of both when they take casein and whey protein together.
Research has demonstrated that the people who take supplements that contain both whey and casein protein outperform those who take supplements that contain only whey protein, among other choices. It seems that casein is better than glutamine and BCAA’s as well, and this is only going to make things better for most people involved.
There might be some limits on the quantity of supplements that people can take. However, it appears that they are not going to lose anything in the act of taking casein and whey protein. This seems to give people the benefits of both while still allowing them to get an enhanced benefit overall.
Whey Protein
Whey protein is more concentrated than casein protein in general, and that seems to be the case given the nature of its effects. This is a form of protein that appears to have much stronger effects than casein in that it is capable of helping with muscle growth and recovery. People are going to have an easier time with building their muscle mass if they use whey protein.
Whey protein will stop them from losing the muscle that they’re building while also giving them the opportunity to really get ahead when it comes to creating a more muscular body in general. Whey protein is useful when it comes to protein synthesis, which is why it is able to accomplish all of this in the first place.
The body uses protein the building of muscle. Certain macro-nutrients get routed to different purposes in the body. The body does not use carbohydrates for muscle-building. Protein forms the basis for the tissues in the human body even though it can be used for energy as well. Something that aids in protein synthesis is going to give people more energy to work with in the construction and building of muscle. This is going to make all the difference in the world for the people who are working tirelessly at building muscle.
The fact that whey protein is rich in BCAA’s means that people are going to be able to really get many of the benefits of several different supplements in one when they are supplementing with whey protein. Some people are going to need to take BCAA’s separately while supplementing with other types of protein. This is not going to be the case when it comes to the whey protein supplements, which will obviate the need for some other supplements.
It is a good idea to consume whey protein around workouts. Consuming it before, after, and during an exercise session is going to have the best success rate. This is essential for the people who are trying to give their muscles the energy that they need for growth and repair. If they decide to take whey protein around their exercise sessions in general, they are going to be able to fully reap all of the benefits of whey protein and its ability to build muscle.
There are certain studies that suggest that if people have to choose between whey and casein protein for whatever reason, they are better off choosing whey protein. However, this is not a guarantee, and people should know that both casein and whey protein have their strengths and weaknesses.
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Both Casein and Whey Protein
One of the advantages of taking both of these supplements at once is that their weaknesses and strengths seem to balance in many ways. Casein stops protein degradation. It has very little effect on protein synthesis, and protein synthesis is a specialty of whey protein. While whey protein has no real effect on protein degradation, casein stops protein degradation.
Since the costs and benefits of casein and whey protein more or less completely complement one another, it is not surprising that so many people have managed to get really great results from actually taking supplements that contain both whey and casein protein.
Of course, people don’t necessarily need to take these two types of protein at the same time. Taking whey protein around a workout and casein protein according to meal and sleeping schedules can still allow people to get the best of both worlds.
While some people might prefer to take a supplement that contains both of these protein types and it is a good idea if people are able to get a lot of these amino acids through diet anyway, it is still possible for people to be able to benefit from both protein types in a multi-faceted way.