What happens if you eat protein before bed?
Pre-Sleep Casein Supplementation, Metabolism, and Appetite: A Systematic Review
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Casein before bed may slightly reduce fat oxidation compared to whey protein — but not compared to placebo.
Many assume all protein helps burn fat, especially at night. But this suggests casein might actually slow fat burning *relative* to faster-digesting whey.
Practical Takeaways
Take 24–48g of casein before bed if you're doing resistance training and want to maximize muscle growth.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Casein before bed may slightly reduce fat oxidation compared to whey protein — but not compared to placebo.
Many assume all protein helps burn fat, especially at night. But this suggests casein might actually slow fat burning *relative* to faster-digesting whey.
Practical Takeaways
Take 24–48g of casein before bed if you're doing resistance training and want to maximize muscle growth.
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2021
Authors
Justin Roman Cagaoan Dela Cruz, David Kahan
Related Content
Claims (6)
Drinking a protein shake with casein before bed helps your muscles grow and get stronger while you sleep, especially if you're working out.
If you eat a scoop or two of casein protein before bed, it probably won’t change how hungry or full you feel the next day — at least for healthy young or active older people.
If you're a young adult who's overweight or obese, having a casein protein shake before bed doesn't seem to change your metabolism or fat burning in any clear way — it doesn't help or hurt much, based on the studies so far.
Eating a bedtime protein shake with casein doesn’t seem to change how many calories your body burns at rest if you're a healthy older adult — at least according to one small study.
If healthy young adults drink a casein protein shake before bed, they might burn slightly less fat overnight than if they had whey protein—but about the same amount as if they had nothing at all.