Research

Hormonal

Post-exercise consumption of 20g whey protein (WP), casein (CAS), or 80:20 WP/CAS blends increases plasma branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) concentrations and reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) compared to placebo, but combining WP and CAS does not enhance BCAA profiles or muscle recovery beyond consuming WP alone.

If you are looking to reduce muscle soreness after a heavy workout, taking 20g of whey protein, casein, or an 80:20 blend immediately after training will help more than a placebo. However, there is no need to buy expensive 'blend' supplements; pure whey protein provides the same amino acid spike and recovery benefits as the blend. Save your money and stick to whey protein.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
The intervention resulted in similar nitrogen urinary, creatinine and urea plasma levels and showed a positive nitrogen balance in all the trials. Regarding the BCAAs, the peak occurred at 60 min post-ingestion and remained higher until 120 min for WP, WP/CAS and CAS/WP. The DOMS was significantly lower for WP, WP/CAS and CAS/WP compared to the CAS and PLA treatments. There were no advantages in the association of WP and CAS in the BCAAs profile when compared to WP itself, but it induced a lower DOMS compared to CAS and PLA
Bryan Steve Martínez Galán et al. · Nutrients · 2021

Why this rating

Small sample size (n=10), acute single-bout design, and crossover limitations reduce generalizability to chronic adaptations.

Source

Casein and Whey Protein in the Breast Milk Ratio: Could It Promote Protein Metabolism Enhancement in Physically Active Adults?

Bryan Steve Martínez Galán et al. · Nutrients · 2021

DOI 10.3390/nu13072153

crossover · n=10Cited 11×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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