Is casein protein just as important as whey?

[AfroBanana]

If you're paranoid buy a product made from NZ grass-fed milk. The price difference is minimal or even cheaper if you grab it on sale.

Amino acids are amino acids, your body doesn't care if it came from a whole food or a powder. Muscle protein synthesis studies are pretty much always done using whey or more rarely casein if they're testing something related to the slow release. Amino acids aren't a supplement, they're building blocks to create protein (longer chains of amino acids). Saying amino acids are a supplement is like saying fats and carbs are "supplements." They're food. Whey and casein is food.

My issue isn’t that with American (especially stuff from China) protein being processed or in powder form it’s that they tend to not be accurate with labels and is barely regulated. You can get the product and it has 60-70% of the alleged values or
Less even. It also can contain contaminants, allergens, toxins and heavy metals. They’re also often “spiking” the product.

Again this can be avoided by getting from a more stringent location or following 3rd party testing. As for your suggestion that sounds great and NZ might also have stringent testing.

So when I’m more inclined to eat whole food sources (because of the above) I still like to have a post workout shake) especially on the days I know I’m not getting as much protein as I like. I’ll def look into that.

And yes powder is food not a supplement but sadly the FDA categorizes it as a supplement so it is regulated just as poorly. They categorize the same as a vitamin or like creatine not as dairy or meat which has to meet FDA standards. Like you can’t just import milk and steak selling it on Amazon.

 

[Renard]

My issue isn’t that with American (especially stuff from China) protein being processed or in powder form it’s that they tend to not be accurate with labels and is barely regulated. You can get the product and it has 60-70% of the alleged values or
Less even. It also can contain contaminants, allergens, toxins and heavy metals. They’re also often “spiking” the product.

Again this can be avoided by getting from a more stringent location or following 3rd party testing. As for your suggestion that sounds great and NZ might also have stringent testing.

So when I’m more inclined to eat whole food sources (because of the above) I still like to have a post workout shake) especially on the days I know I’m not getting as much protein as I like. I’ll def look into that.

And yes powder is food not a supplement but sadly the FDA categorizes it as a supplement so it is regulated just as poorly. They categorize the same as a vitamin or like creatine not as dairy or meat which has to meet FDA standards. Like you can’t just import milk and steak selling it on Amazon.

The whey from NZ is popular because they banned the use of growth hormones and steroids in their cattle since the 80s, and use of antibiotics is heavily restricted. If an animal requires antibiotics, they're sequestered for several months and won't be used for milk or meat. The vast majority of their cattle are fed grass, no corn or grain. Basically very stringent rules compared to the rest of the world so you can't go wrong.

 

[Volador]

Just as important as whey. And Beef. And Chicken. And Fish. And Eggs.
What everybody should have is protein that has a complete amino acid profile.
There is nothing special about the source other than how it fits into your lifestyle and how your body reacts to it. ie some people are not tolerant of lactose or eggs.

Yes casein absorbs more slowly than whey. So? People seem to assume that this is better for hypertrophy and recovery because it seems like simple logic. Where is the proof of that? Not saying it's not true but I've never seen it.
Things are not always as simple as they appear. For example maybe whey is better because the AA levels peak higher and drop off quicker. If it's so much better than why would you use whey at all?

I agree with this. I’ve seen the “more slowly digested, so you should take it at night” claim many times, but every time I see a study, the differences seem insignificant. I think there’s this tendency to take theoretical and animal models and extrapolate information, without actually checking the experiments that reveal whether things work empirically on people or not, and also ignoring practical considerations. So, you can have a bunch of mechanistic explanations for why something should happen, but if it doesn’t actually happen in reality when you test it, then they’re bullshit. This I just came across today from Greg Nuckols, who’s usually pretty good:

 

[NoSmilez]

I don’t mind as long as we moved on from eating hydrolyzed whey. I remember it was the big thing here years ago. Worst dog shit tasting protein ever.

 

[1rawdog]

I agree with this. I’ve seen the “more slowly digested, so you should take it at night” claim many times, but every time I see a study, the differences seem insignificant. I think there’s this tendency to take theoretical and animal models and extrapolate information, without actually checking the experiments that reveal whether things work empirically on people or not, and also ignoring practical considerations. So, you can have a bunch of mechanistic explanations for why something should happen, but if it doesn’t actually happen in reality when you test it, then they’re bullshit. This I just came across today from Greg Nuckols, who’s usually pretty good:

Same experience, hence my sincere request earlier for some real legitimate science that proved that other fellows assertion.

I had a good laugh when I came on the site just now. That study popped up on my insta today too, I just came on to see if sherdog would allow a link to it. Clicked on my alerts and there was my answer.
Cheers