Whether you workout or not, you have likely heard of whey protein powder. Whey protein is one of the most popular health and nutritional supplements ever sold and for good reason.
It lines the shelves of supplement stores and is packed tight in the form of ready to drink shakes in that little fridge next to the front desk of your gym.
Protein is a vital component for every cell in your body. Your body uses it to build and repair tissues. While it also assists in many other processes in the body, most people seek out protein supplements because they are looking to increase their muscle mass.
While Whey has a host of great benefits to assist you with your fitness goals, there is another type of protein that is not discussed nearly as much and that is casein protein.
What is casein protein?
Casein is often called the “other protein”. Similar to whey protein, casein protein is a type of milk protein created during the cheese making process. In fact, milk contains mostly casein protein. Casein makes up approximately 80 % of the protein in milk while whey makes up the other 20 %.
In order for casein protein powder to be created, the casein protein created during the above process is extracted and sold as a supplement in powder form.
While it is available in most big name supplement stores, casein is definitely not marketed to the extent that whey is. There is often far fewer flavors produced by companies and many companies that make a whey protein do not even bother to produce a casein protein.
Casein is almost solely consumed and marketed to bodybuilders looking to maintain their hard-earned muscle mass however, it has several other benefits for non-bodybuilders as well.
Casein and whey may look and taste similar, but they are definitely not the same.
How is casein different from whey?
While both whey and casein are excellent sources of protein, they differ in one major way, which is in their rate of digestion.
Both whey and casein contain the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) your muscles so desperately need following a hard workout however, each protein delivers them to your body in different ways.
Whey protein is rapidly digested by the body which means that it is quickly able to raise amino acid levels in the blood and start protein synthesis immediately. I’m simple terms, that means that your body is going to be able to repair the damage to your muscles that just occurred from the workout while beginning to assist in growing new muscle.
Casein on the other hand digests far more gradually than whey protein. Casein provides a steady stream of amino acids to the body over time as opposed to delivering them all at once. Due to this, casein is ideal for those times in which you will have to go a long period without protein.
Think of it this way. While whey is used with the intention of growing new muscle, casein is used primarily with the intention of maintaining the muscle you already have and preventing it from wasting away. Here’s a great chart which visually demonstrates the digestion rate differences between the two proteins.
The last thing most people (particularly bodybuilders) want is for their muscle to waste away. The wasting away of muscle is also known as catabolism and can be a huge problem for bodybuilders. Luckily, casein is readily available for most people to combat this problem.
Where can you get casein?
Since it is a protein found in milk, you can obviously find casein in most dairy products. Casein can be found in milk, yogurt, cream, butter, cheese and cottage cheese amongst other dairy sources.
If, you are watching your calories, most of those sources will clearly not be ideal for you. Also, several of the sources such a butter, do not contain huge amounts of casein. You would have to shove numerous sticks of butter in your mouth to get the adequate amount of casein necessary to accomplish your anti-catabolism goals.
My favorite source of casein, aside from buying it as a powder, is cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is an excellent source of casein for those watching their calorie intake as it is high in protein and low in fat. Plain cottage cheese is also low in sugar.
Pro-tip: try mixing cottage cheese with a little maple syrup. I think you will find it far easier to eat.
Now that you know where it can be found, the next question naturally is when should you take it?
When is the best time to take casein?
The best time to take casein protein is when your body is going to go long stretches without consuming any protein or amino acids. The obvious time this will occur is during sleep, which makes casein ideal to take before bed. Most people who take casein take it right before bed.
Research has found that muscle breakdown during the hours you are asleep exceeds muscle protein synthesis. What this means is that your muscles are wasting away faster than they are growing, which presents a problem to someone looking to maintain or increase their lean muscle mass.
Aside from sleep, any other time you plan on going long stretches without a meal would be a great time to take casein. Although it goes against most of the dogma of intermittent fasting, casein would be an ideal protein to take during the fasting portions of the diet. Before the critics of intermittent fasting chime in telling me how wrong I am, I have done intermittent fasting on and off for years and did not find it detrimental in any way to have a shake during the fasting window.
Although they should be taken at different times, both whey and casein can be used in conjunction with each other.
Dynamic duo
At this point you may be questioning your loyalty to whey protein and asking yourself if you should perhaps make the switch over to casein protein instead. The good thing is that you don’t have to make that decision. It does not have to be one or the other.
If you like and use protein powder, then my recommendation would be to take both whey and casein protein. They are great combination to assist you with your goal of maintaining and adding lean muscle mass.
The ideal way to use both would be to consume whey protein around a workout (preferably right after) while consuming casein protein just before bed.
Adding both types of protein powder to your diet will ensure that your body is getting an adequate amount of protein and amino acids around the clock.
Cautions
If you have a milk allergy than you will most likely want to avoid casein. Also, a small percentage of people have been found to have a specific casein allergy so please be aware of that and watch how your body reacts while taking it. Like any supplement, casein will not be for everybody.
Don’t sleep on casein
Casein is definitely not as popular as it’s brother whey but I would argue that it is just as important. Look, you work hard for all those gains in the gym. I see people at the gym constantly sucking down whey and that’s great but I know that most are not taking casein protein at night before they go to sleep to make sure their body does not start breaking down that muscle they just worked so hard to grow.
When you wake up in the morning, you don’t want to start two steps back from where you left off the night before in a catabolic state because your muscles were starved of protein and amino acids all night.
Do yourself a huge favor and try casein protein. I know that you will notice a difference in how you feel when you wake up. I certainly do.
Like my recommendations for all protein powders, try your best to find a casein powder that is grass fed, undenatured and free of toxic sweeteners, colorings and preservatives.
Questions or comments about casein protein? I would love to hear below.
I was really getting excited about trying this, but in the back of my mind I wonder about being lactose intolerant, which my son and I both are. I guess we have to stick to the whey protein then. Sound like casein protein is a better alternative, but wont be for us darn it!
Well I have good news for you! Most quality casein protein powders contain little to no lactose. Look for a casein powder made from “micellar casein isolate”. This would be my suggestion. It’s super high quality and lactose free so you shouldn’t have any issues!
Hey Dan great article I had never heard of Casein Protein before so this was a great and informative read!
I’m interested now to know why Casein is not as well marketed than Whey. My guess would have to be that marketing something that works `straight away` and will help `grow your muscles` is easier than something that, acts slowly and will help maintain the muscle mass you have?
Thanks too for your suggestion on how to take both, they sound like a great duo! I will definitely be getting myself some then next time I make an order!
Cheers
Hi Tim,
Thank you. I think that you hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately, most people follow the herd on nutrition and do not usually do their own research. They hear that everyone drinks whey and that it grows muscle so that’s why they buy it. Growing new muscle is cool while maintaining what you have is boring apparently LOL. It just never has seemed to catch on anywhere near as much as whey has but hopefully that will change in the future. I’m glad I could be of help!
I have found that I do not have a milk allergy per se but rather a whey protein allergy. When I tried Whey protein supplements the mild irritation I got when drinking milk was heightened ten fold. Does this mean I should avoid Casein as well? I would really like some way of prevent muscle break down as I get older.
Hi Maryann,
Only you will know for sure if it is something your body will tolerate however, I think it would certainly be worth trying if you decide to. I think a lot of the reactions/allergies people experience when it comes to protein powders is due to quality issues. Most commercial proteins are filled with a ton of junk aside from the actual protein which causes issues for people. The quality of protein makes a big difference. I too experienced issues back in the day with cheap whey protein however, when I switched to grass-fed whey without any type of artificial flavors or preservatives I did not experience any of the issues and felt great. I would look into this brand of casein! Thank you.
Thanks for all the great information about casein protein. I drink a 30 gram box of whey protein daily, and haven’t seen similar drink opition available with casein protein.
Does it only come in powdered form?
Hi John,
That’s a great question and I have only ever seen it in powdered form to be honest. Even after an internet search, I couldn’t find one that came in the box or as it’s usually called “read to drink” container. That’s something I never really noticed and I’m sure it’s due to the fact that people just do not buy it at the same levels that they buy whey. Companies probably do not think it’s worth it monetarily to produce it in that form. If you make one though John I will be the first in line to buy it:)
Hi Dan!
This is a great article on casein! I have taken a large number of protein powders over the years with most having whey protein in them. I remember many times seeing casein in the list of ingredients but I never knew what it was. Now I know!
I stopped taking whey protein because I never saw any results or change so I figured it was just hype. Now I’m reconsidering that in light of your info. I didn’t know that my muscles were catabolizing in my sleep.
So a question for you. Do you have a recommendation on a powder with casein that you have had good results with?
Hi Tina,
Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed the article and learned something about casein. While there are some crazy claims made about it at times, it definitely is not all hype. Both whey and casein work very well for me but I really noticed how effective they were when I began to purchase high quality ones that are actually good for your health instead of bad for it. This is the current one that I am taking right now and would definitely recommend it! It is made out of milk from grass fed Irish cows and is free of any artificial garbage. It is also lactose free.
Great article! tons of information I never would have thought about. The scientific backup to your information is great for those of us who don’t have the time to look into the details of which protein is best. I like that you see a positive to both the whey and casein protein, and that they both have a positive place in our healthy diets. I will have to see about adding casein into my current routine. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Joanne,
Thank you. I am glad the article was helpful. They definitely both have a positive place in my diet!
Hi Dan. Many thanks for the information. I always walk past the supplement shops because I do not know anything about the products and I don’t want to be sold just anything by the staff. Your information has given me a lot to think about. I do a regular yoga practice to stay in shape, but this does not build large muscles. I now know how to do it by using either or both whey and casein supplements. I’ll give it a go. Many thanks.
Hi Andrew,
I’m glad you got something out of the article. Even if you are not lifting weights, whey and casein can both still be beneficial for you. It can certainly help you recover from those yoga workouts. I think that you will really notice a difference overall if you incorporate it into your diet.