Whey Makes Muscles Stronger Than Collagen
Whey protein but not collagen peptides stimulate acute and longer-term muscle protein synthesis with and without resistance exercise in healthy older women: a randomized controlled trial.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Whey boosted muscle growth without activating the mTOR pathway—the usual 'on switch' for muscle building.
Scientists assumed mTOR activation was essential for protein-induced muscle growth. This study shows whey works through unknown, alternative mechanisms.
Practical Takeaways
If you're over 60 and want to preserve muscle, choose whey protein (20–30g twice daily) over collagen—especially if you’re inactive or can’t exercise daily.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Whey boosted muscle growth without activating the mTOR pathway—the usual 'on switch' for muscle building.
Scientists assumed mTOR activation was essential for protein-induced muscle growth. This study shows whey works through unknown, alternative mechanisms.
Practical Takeaways
If you're over 60 and want to preserve muscle, choose whey protein (20–30g twice daily) over collagen—especially if you’re inactive or can’t exercise daily.
Publication
Journal
The American journal of clinical nutrition
Year
2020
Authors
Sara Y Oikawa, Michael Kamal, Erin K. Webb, C. McGlory, S. Baker, Stuart M Phillips
Related Content
Claims (10)
Even though both protein shakes had the same amount of protein, the whey one made the key muscle-building amino acid (leucine) in the blood much higher than the collagen one.
After drinking whey protein shakes every day for a week, older women’s muscles kept building up new protein even on days they didn’t exercise—collagen protein didn’t do this at all.
Doing leg exercises helps whey protein build muscle even more—but even with exercise, collagen protein still can’t match whey’s muscle-building power.
When older women drink whey protein shakes, their muscles start repairing and growing faster—especially if they also do leg exercises—while collagen protein shakes don’t do much unless they exercise, and even then, it’s much weaker.
Leucine activates the mTORC1 signaling pathway to initiate muscle protein synthesis.