How Different Proteins Feed Your Muscles
Protein Type, Protein Dose, and Age Modulate Dietary Protein Digestion and Phenylalanine Absorption Kinetics and Plasma Phenylalanine Availability in Humans
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Whole milk protein delivers more amino acids than either whey or casein alone, despite whey being known for rapid absorption.
Whey is often marketed as the 'fastest' and 'best' protein for muscles, but here, intact milk—containing both whey and casein—performs better overall in total delivery.
Practical Takeaways
Choose whole milk or dairy-rich meals over isolated protein powders for better amino acid delivery.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Whole milk protein delivers more amino acids than either whey or casein alone, despite whey being known for rapid absorption.
Whey is often marketed as the 'fastest' and 'best' protein for muscles, but here, intact milk—containing both whey and casein—performs better overall in total delivery.
Practical Takeaways
Choose whole milk or dairy-rich meals over isolated protein powders for better amino acid delivery.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of Nutrition
Year
2020
Authors
S. Gorissen, J. Trommelen, I. W. Kouw, A. Holwerda, B. Pennings, Bart B L Groen, B. Wall, T. Churchward-Venne, A. Horstman, R. Koopman, N. Burd, C. Fuchs, M. Dirks, Peter T. Res, J. Senden, Jan M. Steijns, Lisette C P G M de Groot, L. Verdijk, Luc J C van Loon
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Claims (6)
As men get older, their bodies don't absorb protein from food as well after eating — specifically, older guys get less use out of the amino acids from a protein meal compared to younger guys.
When healthy guys drink milk protein, about half of the protein gets into their bloodstream within 5 hours — that's what muscles can use. The rest is either still being digested or gets used by organs like the liver before it ever reaches the rest of the body.
For healthy guys, drinking regular milk protein gives your body more usable protein building blocks over 5 hours than taking just whey or just casein alone.
When healthy guys drink more whey protein, their bodies absorb more of an important amino acid called phenylalanine—about 10% more when they take a higher dose.
If healthy guys drink more casein protein, more amino acids show up in their blood overall—even though a smaller percentage gets absorbed—probably because their bodies haven’t finished digesting it within 5 hours.