Get_Swole
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
NOCTURNAL CASEIN: DOES A CASE EXIST?
Shred of Evidence
By Anthony L. Almada, MSc, FISSN
Nocturnal Casein: Does a Case Exist?
Two hours together over dinner— sports nutrition science and business chatter. Then our waiter approached our table and asked the question that always causes a stir: "Did any of you save room for dessert?" My two friends shamelessly opted for the crème bruleé. "They earned it," I thought, sending them positive vibes rather than letting go what popped into my mind: "You chose a fat-and-sugar cocktail for dessert. We can no longer be friends or business associates." Coming back into my body, I proudly replied, "I'll have some fresh berries... and some fresh whipped cream— if you have any, please."
Andy popped in a comment that set the course for the rest of our discussion. "I'm stuffed. When I get back to the hotel room, I'm going to have to force down my nighttime casein dose." His partner, Chris, silently chimed in by nodding his head with a "Me, too." "Nighttime casein" is one of those trigger phrases, like "creatine cycling" or "lactic acid burn," that plays a brain video of all of the research I have done— through reading or in university studies— all in a blur. I grinned at both of them and asked, "Why do you take casein before bed?" "It's a slow protein and the slower digestion will keep protein synthesis turned on longer while I'm sleeping..." Andy replied, "...right?"
Andy and Chris are sharp businessmen and excellent observers of the sports nutrition scene. They've seen brands and fads come and go, and they truly strive to do the right thing— the scientific evidence, based-on-humans thing. "Do you guys remember when the "fast" and "slow" proteins story broke in the late '90s1, and how it drew a bright line between whey and casein?" I started. They did indeed. "What you read and were told was that whey was a faster-digesting, faster-absorbing protein that activated protein synthesis and leucine-burning as a fuel, all more than casein. What you also read and were told was that casein had a greater anti-proteolytic effect— braking protein breakdown— than whey, and therefore had a better protein-retaining effect." Affirmative, in stereo, from the guys.
Then their ears perked up. I told them— possibly bursting a bubble or two— that ALL of these studies in the early '90s were based on whole-body protein metabolism in resistance-untrained persons. Saying the words "protein synthesis" to a physique athlete is like saying "aroused" to a sex addict—it has only one meaning to either of them. But the reality is that "protein synthesis" is not muscle specific and includes protein synthesis (and breakdown) in other compartments of the body, like the intestines, spleen, liver, and the skin.
I hammered the point that "protein synthesis" is very different from "muscle protein synthesis." Indeed, muscle protein synthesis takes up only about one-third of total body protein synthesis2, at least in resistance-untrained subjects (we have no clue of the percentage in resistance-trained subjects). I punctuated my comments by saying that when muscle protein synthesis (anabolic) response was studied after a resistance-training session, comparing whey to casein, using untrained subjects, there was no difference3. The guys were "aroused" now—their physique enthusiast minds now purged of the time-zone fatigue.
"Hold on— anabolic response in an untrained person is totally different than in a resistance-trained person— any studies in trained subjects?" Chris offered up. "Are you telepathic?" I asked him. "Yes, indeed, and in that study— which came out only a few months ago4— soy protein was, in some measures, similar to hydrolyzed whey protein, yet both blew casein away," I finished. The guys were beyond aroused now, as I had uttered the unspeakable trio of letters... S-O-Y. "No way!" jumped in Andy, his pun unintended, "Soy protein?!"
I had to reinstate their faith in whey, and further carve out the casein case. I shared with them that both hydrolyzed whey (WH) and soy protein caused similar insulin spikes, while casein produced a flatline insulin response. The dose of essential aminos with each of the three proteins was nearly identical but rose highest and fastest with WH, casein being the lowest. The blood leucine and total branched-chain amino changes were also greatest with WH. When taken at rest, the anabolic response was similar between WH and soy but, when taken after a quads workout, the WH response was greater than soy, and much greater than casein.
Their faces showed relief— whey was better than soy protein, at least in this study. "Now what this study did not measure, like the one done on untrained subjects, was muscle protein breakdown rate. Since insulin was flat from the casein supplement, and yet showed almost identical spiking with WH and soy protein, any anti-proteolytic effect of casein would not seem to be activated by insulin. The other missing piece from this study was 4-5 hours— muscle anabolic response was measured over just three hours, while the fast and slow protein study from the '90s—in resistance-untrained subjects eating about a 15 percent protein diet— was over 7 hours, measuring total body protein metabolism.
Most importantly, there appears to be only one published study comparing a meaningful muscle anabolic response of WH or intact whey-to-casein in resistance-trained persons— changes in muscle mass and strength5. Even though the WH in this study (VP2™ Whey Isolate, AST Sports Science) whipped casein, I won't believe the results until a different lab does the same study and duplicates the results.
There also do not appear to be any published studies measuring muscle or even whole-body anabolic responses during sleepy time, either. So you could say, "What's the point of nighttime casein?" Anabolic response over three hours, or a night of sleep, is simply a dream until you wake up to hard evidence of more muscle mass and/or strength.
"What about hydrolysates versus intact proteins?" they asked in unison. "Another myth to explore, but let's save it until the next time we have dinner," I conceded.
Anthony L. Almada has worked within the dietary supplement industry since 1975. He has a B.Sc. in physiology and nutritional biochemistry minor from California State University, Long Beach, and an M.Sc. in Nutritional/Exercise Biochemistry from Berkeley. He was the co-founder of EAS (which introduced creatine to North America in 1993) and is a fellow and member of the executive board of ISSN. He has been a co-investigator on over 60 university clinical trials, ranging from neuromuscular diseases to muscle growth and fat-loss interventions.
References:
1. Boirie Y, et al. PNAS 1997;94:14930-5.
2. Nair KS, et al. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 1988;254:E208-E213,
3. Tipton KD, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2004;36:2073-81.
4. Tang JE, et al. J Appl Physiol, 2009;107:987-92.
5. Cribb PJ, et al. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2006;16:494-509.
Shred of Evidence
By Anthony L. Almada, MSc, FISSN
Nocturnal Casein: Does a Case Exist?
Two hours together over dinner— sports nutrition science and business chatter. Then our waiter approached our table and asked the question that always causes a stir: "Did any of you save room for dessert?" My two friends shamelessly opted for the crème bruleé. "They earned it," I thought, sending them positive vibes rather than letting go what popped into my mind: "You chose a fat-and-sugar cocktail for dessert. We can no longer be friends or business associates." Coming back into my body, I proudly replied, "I'll have some fresh berries... and some fresh whipped cream— if you have any, please."
Andy popped in a comment that set the course for the rest of our discussion. "I'm stuffed. When I get back to the hotel room, I'm going to have to force down my nighttime casein dose." His partner, Chris, silently chimed in by nodding his head with a "Me, too." "Nighttime casein" is one of those trigger phrases, like "creatine cycling" or "lactic acid burn," that plays a brain video of all of the research I have done— through reading or in university studies— all in a blur. I grinned at both of them and asked, "Why do you take casein before bed?" "It's a slow protein and the slower digestion will keep protein synthesis turned on longer while I'm sleeping..." Andy replied, "...right?"
Andy and Chris are sharp businessmen and excellent observers of the sports nutrition scene. They've seen brands and fads come and go, and they truly strive to do the right thing— the scientific evidence, based-on-humans thing. "Do you guys remember when the "fast" and "slow" proteins story broke in the late '90s1, and how it drew a bright line between whey and casein?" I started. They did indeed. "What you read and were told was that whey was a faster-digesting, faster-absorbing protein that activated protein synthesis and leucine-burning as a fuel, all more than casein. What you also read and were told was that casein had a greater anti-proteolytic effect— braking protein breakdown— than whey, and therefore had a better protein-retaining effect." Affirmative, in stereo, from the guys.
Then their ears perked up. I told them— possibly bursting a bubble or two— that ALL of these studies in the early '90s were based on whole-body protein metabolism in resistance-untrained persons. Saying the words "protein synthesis" to a physique athlete is like saying "aroused" to a sex addict—it has only one meaning to either of them. But the reality is that "protein synthesis" is not muscle specific and includes protein synthesis (and breakdown) in other compartments of the body, like the intestines, spleen, liver, and the skin.
I hammered the point that "protein synthesis" is very different from "muscle protein synthesis." Indeed, muscle protein synthesis takes up only about one-third of total body protein synthesis2, at least in resistance-untrained subjects (we have no clue of the percentage in resistance-trained subjects). I punctuated my comments by saying that when muscle protein synthesis (anabolic) response was studied after a resistance-training session, comparing whey to casein, using untrained subjects, there was no difference3. The guys were "aroused" now—their physique enthusiast minds now purged of the time-zone fatigue.
"Hold on— anabolic response in an untrained person is totally different than in a resistance-trained person— any studies in trained subjects?" Chris offered up. "Are you telepathic?" I asked him. "Yes, indeed, and in that study— which came out only a few months ago4— soy protein was, in some measures, similar to hydrolyzed whey protein, yet both blew casein away," I finished. The guys were beyond aroused now, as I had uttered the unspeakable trio of letters... S-O-Y. "No way!" jumped in Andy, his pun unintended, "Soy protein?!"
I had to reinstate their faith in whey, and further carve out the casein case. I shared with them that both hydrolyzed whey (WH) and soy protein caused similar insulin spikes, while casein produced a flatline insulin response. The dose of essential aminos with each of the three proteins was nearly identical but rose highest and fastest with WH, casein being the lowest. The blood leucine and total branched-chain amino changes were also greatest with WH. When taken at rest, the anabolic response was similar between WH and soy but, when taken after a quads workout, the WH response was greater than soy, and much greater than casein.
Their faces showed relief— whey was better than soy protein, at least in this study. "Now what this study did not measure, like the one done on untrained subjects, was muscle protein breakdown rate. Since insulin was flat from the casein supplement, and yet showed almost identical spiking with WH and soy protein, any anti-proteolytic effect of casein would not seem to be activated by insulin. The other missing piece from this study was 4-5 hours— muscle anabolic response was measured over just three hours, while the fast and slow protein study from the '90s—in resistance-untrained subjects eating about a 15 percent protein diet— was over 7 hours, measuring total body protein metabolism.
Most importantly, there appears to be only one published study comparing a meaningful muscle anabolic response of WH or intact whey-to-casein in resistance-trained persons— changes in muscle mass and strength5. Even though the WH in this study (VP2™ Whey Isolate, AST Sports Science) whipped casein, I won't believe the results until a different lab does the same study and duplicates the results.
There also do not appear to be any published studies measuring muscle or even whole-body anabolic responses during sleepy time, either. So you could say, "What's the point of nighttime casein?" Anabolic response over three hours, or a night of sleep, is simply a dream until you wake up to hard evidence of more muscle mass and/or strength.
"What about hydrolysates versus intact proteins?" they asked in unison. "Another myth to explore, but let's save it until the next time we have dinner," I conceded.
Anthony L. Almada has worked within the dietary supplement industry since 1975. He has a B.Sc. in physiology and nutritional biochemistry minor from California State University, Long Beach, and an M.Sc. in Nutritional/Exercise Biochemistry from Berkeley. He was the co-founder of EAS (which introduced creatine to North America in 1993) and is a fellow and member of the executive board of ISSN. He has been a co-investigator on over 60 university clinical trials, ranging from neuromuscular diseases to muscle growth and fat-loss interventions.
References:
1. Boirie Y, et al. PNAS 1997;94:14930-5.
2. Nair KS, et al. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, 1988;254:E208-E213,
3. Tipton KD, et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2004;36:2073-81.
4. Tang JE, et al. J Appl Physiol, 2009;107:987-92.
5. Cribb PJ, et al. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2006;16:494-509.
