SuppVersity - Nutrition and Exercise Science for Everyone

Using casein protein pre-bed can be useful but probably only for those of you who use it to up their total protein intake. "Once Upon a Time..." It may sound like it, but it is a fact when I tell you that there was a time when bodybuilders got up at night to consume a protein shake. That's not just the exact opposite of today's lean gains physique athletes, it is also PM protein ingestion taken to the extreme. An extreme of which a bunch of studies investigating the effects of the ingestion of slow-digesting casein protein before bed suggests that - even if  it works - it may be an unnecessary sleep-impairing hassle. High-protein diets are much safer than some 'experts' say, but there are things to consider... Practical Protein Oxidation 101 5x More Than the FDA Allows! More Protein ≠ More Satiety Satiety: Casein > Whey? Wrong! Protein Timing DOES Matter! High Protein not a Health Threat For those who don't want to go to such...

Don't want to rely on protein supplements but are bored of blatant cottage cheese? Try this deliciously looking recipe for "Cottage Cheese with Maple & Vanilla Flavor Added, fresh blackberries, raspberries and blueberries, toasted almond slivers, and pumpkin seeds" from thechroniclesofhome.com I've written about the possible net protein gains you can make by consuming a large bolus (20g) of slow-digesting casein before - for the first time in 2012 in my article "3.2kg of Lean Mass Over Night W/ 40g of Slow Digesting Protein 30min Before Bed!?" ( read it ), then again in 2015 addressing a study that used significantly less protein "12-Week Study: 25g Bed-Time Protein Almost Doubles Size & Increases Strength Gains - Where's the Catch?" ( read it ), and roughly a year ago in "40g Casein Build Lean Muscle Overnight: 27% Elevated MPS Even W/Out Training (30% W/ Ex) - And That in 70-Y+ Olds!" ( read more ). The reason I want t...

Pre-bed protein (meal or shake) is always a good idea, no matter if you're young or old, if you work out in the PM or not - you don't want to miss the increased overnight protein synthesis. Gaining muscle over night? No news! You will probably remember the two previous articles on "pre-bed protein ingestion", i.e. "12-Week Study: 25g Bed-Time Protein Almost Doubles Size & Increases Strength Gains" ( read it ) and "3.2kg of Lean Mass Over Night W/ 40g of Slow Digesting Protein 30min Before Bed!? Over One Year, a Positive Nitrogen Balance and +20% FSR Could Make It Happen!" ( read it ), but still! With this being the first study to show that even (on average) 71-year-olds can "build muscle overnight" with nothing but 40g of casein being ingested ~30 minutes before they went to bed, it is probably the most impressive of the previously referenced studies. High-protein diets are much safer than pseudo-experts say, but there are thi...

Fridge raiding allowed, no even suggested! At least if what you take out of the fridge is a chilled protein shake - preferably one with at least some slow-digesting casein. You will remember my provocative claim that you can "Gain 3.2kg of Lean Mass Over Night" from a 2012 SuppVersity article ( read it  | Groen. 2012). The claim was based on an extrapolation of the lean mass gains you would see within one year if the only thing you did was to consume one serving of slow digesting protein before bed - no training, no other dietary intervention. Now, three years later, I am happy to tell you my prediction was not too far off. In fact, the provision of a shake containing 27.5 g of protein, 15 g of carbohydrate, and 0.1 g of fat right before bed even  doubled  the gains of the those 22 young, recreational active, but  non-resistance trained men who had been randomly assigned to the active treatment (the energy-free placebo tasted identical). You can learn more a...

Carbs, whey and casein, is everything better than not eating before bed? As a SuppVersity reader you know for quite some time that eating carbs past 6PM is not going to make you fat ( go back and learn more ). However, what you probably don't know is what exactly happens when you have 33g of vanilla flavored maltodextrin powder right (30 min) before bed? And how does that compare to 30g of whey protein or casein? Interesting questions, right? Well, good for us that Takudzwa A. Madzima, Lynn B. Panton, Sarah K. Fretti, Amber W. Kinsey and Michael J. Ormsbee from the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at the Institute of Sports Science and Medicine of the Florida State University alrady have some answers. Whey, casein or carbs before bed? The study was designed to investigate the extent to which a single serving of WP, CP, CHO or a PLA before sleep affects satiety and metabolism, independent of exercise, in eleven physically active (at least 4 d/week an...