Casein Protein, The “Night Time” Protein Source

What is Casein Protein? 

Casein protein is the predominant protein found in milk. It makes up about 80% of the protein in cow’s milk, while the remaining 20% of protein in milk is whey protein. Casein protein is extracted from the milk through ultra filtration, without the use of chemicals. This process increases the amount of bioactive milk peptides that support immune function as well as enhance muscle growth.

Casein protein has an excellent amino acid profile and is primarily known as “bed time protein” because it takes up to 7 hours to be absorbed by the body making it ideal for before bed.

Casein protein is a slow-digesting protein because it forms a “gel” in the gut, which results in a steady release of amino acids into the blood stream over time. Research shows that when you consume casein, you will reach a peak in blood amino acids and protein synthesis up to seven hours. Whey protein, in comparison, reaches a peak in blood amino acids and protein synthesis in about 40 minutes and the total release ends in about an hour.

Since casein protein slowly enters the blood stream, it has very little impact on protein synthesis. It has a powerful effect, however, in suppressing protein breakdown. In other words, it’s an awesome muscle-sparing protein. This makes it ideal for times of the day where you do not need protein immediately, like before bed or mid afternoon/morning. casein would not be suitable for a post-workout drink.

Muscle growth is dependent on the balance of protein synthesis and protein breakdown. To tip the balance in your favor, you want to increase protein synthesis and decrease protein breakdown. You can achieve this by supplementing with whey protein (fast absorption/promotes protein synthesis) and casein protein (slow absorption/suppresses protein breakdown).

To effectively take advantage of whey and casein proteins, you need to use them at the right times of the day. Casein protein is the only protein you should be taking before going to sleep. The reason is because your body needs to be sustained for six to eight hours during your sleep without food. You don’t want your hard-earned muscle being broken down in your sleep, so a protein that is slowly released over time is best. If you took whey protein before going to bed, it would do very little since whey is absorbed and used within an hour.

There are three forms of casein protein:

1. Calcium caseinate
2. Micellar casein
3. Milk protein isolate.

Calcium caseinate is the lowest quality among the three forms and is commonly used as a food ingredient. Micellar casein and the casein in milk protein isolate are identical. While micellar casein is 100% casein, milk protein isolate has both micellar protein and whey.

Almost all supplements you’ll find for sale in bodybuilding supplement stores are Micellar Casein. We recommend taking casein supplements before bed only. The vast majority of muscle repair is done whilst sleeping and you cannot afford to “starve” your body of protein and amino acids for that period.