In order to build muscle, you need to have lots of protein in your body. Protein is what muscles are made of, and without it your muscles can’t grow as fast. This is why many people who want to go into body building take casein protein powder.

Casein is a kind of protein that many people take to build up their muscles quickly and more efficiently. It started out in the nineteenth century and was found to be the protein in milk as a by product of the cheese making process. Since people found out about its great effects and its high amount of protein, they used it in dairy products, baby foods, and dieting products. This way, those foods could have more protein and could sell better.

Today, casein is mainly produced in Russia, New Zealand, and Australia. Casein protein is a slow acting protein, but it has very high quality protein with all of the amino acids you need to build up muscles. This is why it lasts for a long time and constantly builds muscles.

It has a slightly lower biological value than whey and egg protein, but it has many advantages that the others don’t have. For example, casein powder has lots of glutamine in it, which will help keep muscle mass in your body so you can build on it to create bigger muscles. Also, it is good for your immune system.

Another benefit of casein protein powder is that the many great proteins that it offers can be absorbed by the body better than other proteins. It may not be absorbed right away, but in the end it offers more protein so your body can use it to make better muscles.

It is best to use casein protein powder as an addition to your other protein powders like whey protein. They should be taken at different times so that you can get the proteins from both of them. You can take them after exercising so that your body can take in the protein and use it. Also, you can take it before you go to sleep or in between meals so that the protein has time to be absorbed into the body.

You should not use protein powders that mix different kinds of proteins like casein, whey, and egg. Usually these don’t have mixes that will make the most of each kind of protein, so it is best to take them separately.

When you buy casein protein, it is important to find really high quality protein made by companies known to produce quality products. It should be from whole milk to get the best protein, and it shouldn’t have any chemicals or preservatives added to it. This will make the powder less potent since it should be completely natural. Chemically changing it can make it even dangerous to take in.

So knowing about the benefits of casein protein powder, you can now choose which protein powders you want to take to build your body. Remember that each protein powder has their own benefits, and can each help your body in their own different ways.

Casein is one of the most important bodybuilding supplements geared towards generating mass. Fitness trainers who use casein protein regularly easily generate bulk and general body health. In most cases, casein proteins are usually compared to whey proteins and given an equal importance as bodybuilding supplements. Proteins are the building blocks on which growth occurs.

The search for protein supplements has intensified in the last one decade. Bodybuilders have awoken to the fact that their muscle growth rate is directly proportional to the provision of adequate levels of proteins to the body alongside endurance training. Training without ingesting the appropriate proteins will not yield any new muscle tissues. But what is casein protein? Casein is a by-product of cheese. It is therefore derived from whole cream milk in the cheese making processes.

After collection, protein is curdled to enhance the nutritional value and depending on how much it is refined you can have a variation of quality. We have high quality casein proteins and low-grade casein proteins. High quality casein has been refined further for fast absorption while in the body and to include more protein calories. Although the refining process increases the protein concentration and the speed of absorption, the absorption rate of casein is still under par, as compared to other proteins.

When the casein is collected prior to the curdling process, it results to a low quality product. For the mere fact that in low-grade casein proteins the proteins had not curdled, it is usually referred to as calcium caseinate or simply caseinate. One characteristic of low quality casein besides being cheap is that it has a slow digestion speed. The slow digestion improves absorption of vital amino acids. This is one of the reasons why low quality casein works well as meal replacements. In various literatures, casein has been referred to as the best meal replacement supplement available in the market today.

Casein protein helps in providing energy that can sustain the body for extended periods between meals. More importantly, they help the body with a high absorption efficiency of amino acids that facilitate muscle growth. Proteins must be ingested in high volumes if optimal muscle growth is to occur. This requires that you eat proteins in all the day’s six meals and in high volumes.

Most people find it hard to include proteins in all the meals and even when they do, the proteins always fall below the required ration of about three grams per pound of body weight. This is where casein protein comes in to provide high levels of proteins for the day’s requirements in a supplement form. The slow digestibility and absorption of casein proteins also aids in ensuring that there is a sustained and reliable supply of proteins for the body throughout.

However, as you shop for casein protein, ensure that you only choose the supplements made by reputable manufactures. The high quality casein proteins must be derived from whole milk and then have no chemicals and preservation acids added to it. Casein should be derived from a natural process. Extracting it using artificial processes like use of acids spoils its quality and safety.

What is Casein Protein and Where Does it Come From?

Casein protein is of the quality proteins filtered out during the cheese making process. The other protein byproduct is whey protein. Casein is the primary protein in milk, making up approximately 80 percent, while the other 20 percent is why. Both of these proteins are very complete and amino acid rich, but they do have very important differences.

Whey and Casein Protein Differences

The greatest difference between casein protein and whey protein is in their digestibility. Whey is easily absorbable and one can digest whey within an hour. Casein protein however coagulates and forms a denser gel once in the stomach’s acidic environment. This makes casein protein a slow digesting protein, as it is gradually broken down and releases amino acids for hours and hours into the blood stream.

Casein, the ‘Night Time’ Protein

Studies show that casein protein digestion can last up to seven hours. And while this may seem counter productive to body builders, this is actually a very good thing. For the most part, easily digestible whey and vegetable proteins are digested and flushed through the system before they do much good. Bodybuilders in general tend to think more is better, but our bodies have limited absorption potential for all vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins. Too much of anything too quickly results in one thing, body fat.

The problem lies in the fact that our bodies do require regular eating if we want to maintain or build muscle, and if we want our bodies to burn fat regularly rather than store excess calories as fat. Smaller meals eaten more frequently aid both of these things. As such, we want carbohydrates and proteins that don’t fly through our systems, but which have a slow release of nutrients. Complex carbohydrates found in whole grains and vegetables, lean meats, and casein protein are all slow digesting foods that keep our system nutrient satisfied for hours and hours.

But what about those 6 to 10 hours of rest we take every evening? That’s the longest period of time one goes without food and it’s important that your body is not starved for nutrition or protein during that time. I will point out here that the notion of our bodies breaking down muscle during sleep is highly exaggerated. Our metabolism slows considerably during sleep and our bodies require a fraction of the food we need during waking hours. Most well balanced dinners are sufficient to stave off catabolism.

That said, casein protein for athletes and bodybuilders, both of whom have very high metabolisms, may provide excellent muscle retention and muscle gain. Our bodies build muscle and repair themselves primarily during sleep, so a slow digesting casein protein shake before bed will keep you body fueled and well supplied with amino acids until the next meal, 6 to 10 hours later. Casein protein is the heaviest of protein supplements and therefore is digested much in the same way a normal meal would be, slowly releasing nutrients into the blood stream.

When to Take Which Protein

Because of the digestibility of whey and casein protein one should consume them when each will be most effective. For athletes and bodybuilders who do heavy resistance training several days a week, muscle damage is common, and muscle growth is stimulated frequently. To prevent the break down of muscle during training, it is highly recommended to take whey protein before working out, as it will be immediately absorbed and keep you from breaking down muscle for energy.

Whey protein after a training session is not essential (despite what most protein addicts scream), but it may be a good idea, as long as you’re getting a good amount of simple carbohydrates to replace your depleted glycogen stores. Studies have also shown that those who consume casein protein build more muscle as compared to whey and soy consumers. So if you do take protein post workout, consider a little of both, why protein for immediate protein needs, and the casein to keep your system satisfied until the next meal. And then, as we’ve said, consume casein prior to sleeping, and if necessary or too difficult to prepare breakfast, in the morning.

Casein Protein Dangers

I highly doubt this will concern your average bodybuilder, but casein protein causes cancer, as do many other animal proteins consumed in excessive amounts. In Dr. T. Campbell’s book “The China Study” he found a very clear correlation between animal protein consumption and cancer development. While not all proteins contribute to cancer development, namely vegetable proteins like soy, casein protein promoted cancer in every stage of its development. This is disturbing. As always, it seems a sound diet with a governing principle of moderation and balance is the safest policy. Those with a focus on health and longevity should weigh this possibility against the benefits and convenience of using casein protein.