Supplement Spotlight: Casein

 

 I compared my body weight statistics from today to a month and a half ago and found that I gained about three pounds of lean muscle. What I need to give credit to is the casein protein that I decided to incorporate into my supplementation.

  Muscle growth and development are dependent on protein synthesis and protein breakdown. There are two different types of protein which are whey and casein. A lot of you are probably familiar with the whey protein which is the powder that you take before and after your workouts. Whey protein promotes quick absorption into the body and promotes protein synthesis as soon as possible. The body takes whey and uses it within an hour.

   The other type of protein which may be the missing link to you getting jacked is CASEIN.

  Casein protein is mainly derived from cow's milk and what makes it different from regular whey-protein is that casein protein takes longer to digest. Casein protein can last up to seven hours in the body after ingesting, which is amazing because it prevents muscle breakdown. It forms a gel like formation in the body which creates a steady release of amino acids into the bloodstream over a long period of time. The focus and emphasis of casein is not protein synthesis, but the suppression of protein breakdown.

   This is why people who do workout take it before they sleep to prevent their hard-earned muscle from breaking down. When we sleep there is about a 6 to 8 hour window where our bodies don't get food. Taking casein I do not wake up starving in the morning time, which helps me to control my cravings and gets me to not eat anything that I will regret later on.

   Many people I know say that a good source of casein protein is cottage cheese (which is true), but I prefer something that is quick and on the go. The casein protein that I recommend is the one made by Cytosport who also makes Muscle Milk. I picked up the chocolate flavoured tub from bodybuilding.com and it tastes delicious. There are other ones such as ON Gold Standard 100% Casein, but it doesn't taste to good.

  Make sure you don't make the same mistake that I did and take regular whey before bed thinking that it will provide you any sort of benefit. Invest in this supplement now!