Whey Protein and Muscles

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Whey Protein and Muscles

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrates that whey protein is significantly effective in producing muscle gain, at least in older men.

For years, bodybuilders, fitness buffs and people just generally into healthy living have debated the relative merits of different types of protein powder.

For the average person, choosing a protein powder can be confusing. There’s rice protein, casein (milk protein), whey protein and soy protein, just for starters. Some are digested more slowly, some are available to the body much more quickly (whey, for example).

But studies testing one against the other for muscle growth are few and far between.

In the current study, 48 older men were assigned to ingest 20g (one typical serving) of either whey, casein, or casein hydrolysate (a faster acting form of casein). The researchers then used a number of sophisticated measurements to asses both digestion and absorption; they also calculated how effectively new muscle was created.

The clear winner was whey protein.

Whey protein stimulates… muscle protein accretion (growth) more effectively than do casein and casein hydrolysate in older men”, the researchers concluded.

Scientists believe that a particular amino acid- leucine- may be partly responsible for the positive effect on muscle growth. Leucine has been identified as the main nutritional “signal” responsible for stimulating muscle growth, and whey has a considerably higher leucine content than other protein powders.

Other studies have demonstrated the positive effects of whey protein powder on both appetite control and on the immune system.

Though this particular study was done on older men, there’s no reason to assume that the positive effect on muscle growth would not apply to other populations as well, such as women and younger men.

2011-06-11T14:42:58-07:00

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13 Comments

  1. Payam June 11, 2011 at 3:29 pm - Reply

    Is whey protein isolate or whey protein concentrate better? This blog post seems incomplete without a discussion of the two and which is better and why. Could you add the discussion to your post.

  2. Rhonda June 16, 2011 at 1:03 pm - Reply

    We have our own dairy cow and make some of our own cheese. I was wondering if the whey left over from the cheese making was just as good as the whey powders. If it is, would just drinking the whole milk be just as good or is it not enough whey per serving.
    Thanks.

    • Theresa July 8, 2011 at 10:28 am - Reply

      Great QUESTION! I make my own LIQUID whey from raw milk! Did you get an answer? I want to know also!

  3. whey protein powders June 17, 2011 at 5:10 am - Reply

    that was a great article. I like it very much. Keep posting like this.

  4. Andreas July 10, 2011 at 9:43 am - Reply

    Good article, whey is key to muscle gain and fat loss. One can incorporate it to its daily nutritional schedule 🙂

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  5. whey protein powder July 13, 2011 at 4:45 am - Reply

    For us to increase muscle tone we must increase the consumption of protein. With that whey protein has been a big help in doing so. Also it has been made possible for nus to gain muscle tone and being healthy at the same time.

  6. Whey protein and any kind of protein is really essential for older people in building muscles. Older loss muscles faster compared to younger ones.

  7. buy hgh November 15, 2011 at 6:34 am - Reply

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  8. karen August 9, 2013 at 1:52 am - Reply

    This Dr. really knows about what he’s talking about. This post is supported by real facts, not guessing. Thank you.

  9. Aiden Hall September 27, 2013 at 12:34 pm - Reply

    If you are lifting weights and doing any kind of strength training or bodybuilding then you definitely need whey protein, otherwise it will be difficult to recover and build muscle. I think casein protein shakes are great before bed-time to ensure that your body has some slow-digesting protein in it throughout the night. If you are older than 35 then try blending in peanut butter and pine pollen for a testosterone boosting protein shake.

  10. To Build muscle June 19, 2014 at 10:05 pm - Reply

    yes , whey protein is the best to build muscle

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  12. Alex D February 3, 2015 at 11:38 pm - Reply

    Whey protein is nice, I been taking i for a while, its actually not that expensive if you compare it to meat. what do you think are good sources of cheap protein? I been eating these:

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