Micellar Casein In A Nutshell

Micellar Casein

Micellar casein is a considerably slow absorbing type of protein supplement that enables a sustained released of amino acids to support long term muscle breakdown. It’s property of forming a gel under the influence of the low pH of the stomach makes this possible. The “micelle” structure is capable of holding small casein molecules such that it does not solubilise into surrounding water. It contains 5 types of casein molecules, namely alpha, beta, kappa, gamma and delta held together by calcium phosphate bonds thus forming this large polymeric micelle like casein.

Micellar casein, as opposed to regular casein protein is present in its natural form and there is no chemical processing required to obtain it. It is simply derived from the proteins that precipitate from curd whilst making cheese. This suggests micellar casein is a better form of artificial casein as it contains a higher yield of bioactive compounds and carries more efficiency in absorption and muscle deposition. Scientific studies have demonstrated the various benefits of micellar casein in the form of muscle gain and higher energy levels, although have not commented on the use of casein or caseinates (casein proteins that have been chemically modified such as with calcium sprays). The lack of positive findings for the latter can be attributed to the fact that essential casein is lost during the various denaturing steps during the processing stage to generate artificial casein.

Ask any professional bodybuilder or athlete and they’ll tell you that the general consensus out there is that micellar casein is more efficient . However, marketers of casein are going to tell you a different story, particularly due to the fact that artificial casein is relatively cheaper to produce. This would translate onto a high cost for marketers of casein, thus to overcome this, they usually print labels presenting false information regarding the actual content of micellar casein. Some of the labels you may come cross include “micellar alpha and beta caseins” and “caseinates,” All of these are by-products of fraudulous marketing as such components cannot even form micelles, let alone have any credibility to produce beneficiary effects. Rather, these descriptions are carefully designed to condition the customer to regard the product as authentic micellar casein.

So how do know which one is the real deal? Brand names aside, look for one that contains the specific ingredients “micellar protein” or “milk proteins” on the ingredients list. Milk protein is simply a mixture of micellar casein and whey protein. If brands are going to list the casein components, make sure that all of components required to form micelles are present I.e. alpha, beta, kappa, gamma and delta.

If authentic forms of micellar casein are taken regularly, considerable muscle mass will result due to its aversion of muscle catabolism. It is an established fact that micellar casein can prevent muscle breakdown by on average 34% and maintains blood amino acid levels up to 7 hours upon intake. This suggests that micellar casein would be practical to maintain a positive nitrogen balance required for protein formation, for a lengthy duration such as during sleep or any other times during the day when 3 hours is passed without consuming food.

As a final word of wisdom, do not purchase a product claiming that it is micellar casein unless it specifically states so in the ingredient list and is reputable in the bodybuilding community. Additionally, select the brands that contain micellar casein that is produced from skim milk and is lactose free if you are intolerant to the latter. Some of the best casein protein products you may find on the market are: CytoSport Muscle Milk Powder and Optimum Nutrition 100% Casein Protein.

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