The Great Protein Debate: Casein vs. Whey

Here's a nice article about the differences between whey protein and casein:

You know your body needs protein for recovery, growth, and optimum performance. So you head for your local health-food store to buy a protein supplement...seems like an easy task, right? Once in the store, though, you're confronted by shelves of weight gainers, meal-replacement powders, and a host of protein sources like soy, casein, and whey. So how do you make the right decision for the most scientifically credible, cost-effective protein source?

Whey has been shown time and time again to be second to none when it comes to improving recovery, immune function, and athletic performance. You've heard that before, I'm sure. So why are we still talking about whey? Is there anything new to add? Well, yes. You see, over recent months, there has been a wealth of new information about the beneficial effects of whey and protein in general, as well as newly released data that indicates a better method to optimize its use.

1 | Optimal Performance and Protein Intake

Long gone are the caveman views that it's only the strength and bodybuilding community interested in supplementing their protein intake. Protein is now recognized as an important food source for every active exerciser; unfortunately, many nutritional advisors are still behind the times.

This appears to be due to their difficulty making a distinction between dietary needs to offset nutritional deficiency vs. dietary needs to enhance performance. These two goals require two very different approaches. What many nutritionists and dieticians fail to realize is that when advising athletes on protein intake, a clinical deficiency in consumption might lead to a loss in muscle mass and recovery; however, correction of that deficiency will not necessarily lead to optimal performance.

The way I see it, every athlete we work with wants one thing from supplementation "Maximization of Performance," and every exerciser seeks to "improve body composition." So will going above the recommended intake for deficiency prevention increase your recovery, adaptation, and most importantly, your performance?

Read more: The Great Protein Debate