Casein before bed is as effective as receiving earlier in the day in increasing muscle mass and strength in response to resistance training

Amino acids from food directly initiate muscle protein synthesis and recent studies support that this process is not altered during sleep. This opens the concept of ingesting protein before bed as part of a greater strategy to maximize effects of resistance training with protein throughout the 24-hour period. The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of supplemental protein (casein) provided earlier in the day versus before bed when resistance training occurred before 4pm. Young males (19–24 yoa) engaged in supervised resistance training with nutrition guidance and either received casein protein (35g) earlier in the day or before bed for 10 weeks in an isocaloric and nitrogenous design. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc. Both groups demonstrated increases in lean soft tissue and strength (p < 0.05) with no difference between groups. No changes were observed for measures of body fat. Providing protein before sleep is an effective time to incorporate p...