* Before I begin, let me start by saying that I've amended my goal for having a new post every day. Doing so is just flat out impractical and un-doable at the moment. Instead, I'm shooting for at least 2-3 new blog posts per week. I'll, thus, have more time to do adequate research and get my thoughts organized. I'll have fewer posts, but I should be able to produce better quality work. With that said, on with it!
While I'm a firm advocate of eating the bulk of my calories (including protein sources), sometimes schedules and convenience necessitate the use of liquid calories and protein.
But, beyond mere convenience, are there any otherwise un-had benefits to supplementing with protein powders?
As far as protein powders go, there are primarily two sorts of protein powder that I consider worthy options - whey protein and casein protein. In general, animal sources of protein seem to be a superior choice (1), and, since whey and casein are actually derived from milk (which comes from an animal), they fall into the category of animal sources of protein. In this sense, whey and casein are "superior" choices, but only if we consider their value in comparison to other, plant based, protein powders.
Whey is widely consider a fast acting protein. It's given this qualification, not because it gets into your system faster; rather, it's called fast because, once it hits your system, it's absorbed faster.
How fast? Well, the research is mixed, but the general consensus seems to be that, when consumed alone, it can be completely absorbed into your bloodstream 2-3 hours after ingestion (2). This speed is contrasted with whole food sources of protein which take much longer to be fully absorbed by your system; save for beef protein which is actually absorbed faster than whey (3).
Casein on the other hand is absorbed much more slowly. Though it hits your system at the same time as whey, casein can take 7+ hours to be fully absorbed (2).
This slower rate of absorption, as apposed to the rapid absorption of whey, leads to a moderate and extended down-regulation of protein break down. Thus, while whey is often labeled as anabolic (since it seems to cause a spike in protein synthesis), casein is widely considered to be anti-catabolic.
Supplement marketeers often play up these supposed differences between whey and casein. They advocate taking whey in conjunction with your workouts to spike protein synthesis, and they advise taking casein throughout the day and before bed so as to keep protein break down at a minimum. (This is not to say that casein cannot be an effective post workout supplement. Some research suggests that it too can yield similar results to whey if taken pre and post workout (4).)
This theory regarding the timing of whey and casein ingestion sounds great on paper (and as a marketing scheme it brings in tons of $ for supplement companies), but I'm not altogether convinced that either whey or casein are necessary.
It's incredibly easy to pinpoint studies that support protein supplementation, but for every study that lends support, there are others that indicate protein supplementation yields no effect.
Furthermore, there can often be researcher bias underlying any given study or experiment (5). We live in a market economy after all, and despite what you may think, scientists are just as biased and as susceptible to the influence of money as the rest of us.
So what am I getting at here?
If it makes you feel better to use protein powders (whey or casein), do it. There's no harm in making sure you have your bases covered (I really like Gold Standard's Natural line of products personally). Nevertheless, I don't think there is a dire need to get fast acting protein into your system post workout. Protein synthesis remains up-regulated 24-48 hours post workout independent of dietary protein (6), meaning that any protein containing meal you eat within that time frame will likely contribute to muscle building, and, moreover, dietary protein may not be the sole factor which ensures that you successfully build muscle. (Intelligent workout design and consistent hard work are more crucial for muscle building than the protein powder you take following a workout).
Still, if your at all concerned about proper pre or post workout nutrition, a pre-workout meal of carbs and protein will mitigate any "need" for a post workout meal (7). I'm not saying you need to eat a pre-workout meal, though.
So, in wrapping things up, here's my advice:
* Eat plenty of protein in general (shoot for 1g of protein per pound of goal body weight).
** Focus on eating whole food animal sources of protein, and use whey and/or casein if you don't have the time nor the energy to worry about preparing a whole food meal (I'm not advocating that you should ever totally depend on protein powder for your nutrition, so just don't do it).
*** You have a 24-48 hour window in which to eat your protein, so make sure you have your entire diet in check, and only worry about pre or post workout supplementation once you've nailed down your daily nutrition.
**** Focus on getting progressively stronger in the weight room, and don't sweat the small stuff.
Let me know what you think. This is a conversation, not a monologue.
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