We talk a lot about protein timing here at EnergyFirst. We know the rules of thumb: eat protein every 3 to 4 hours, eat around 30-60 minutes after your workout, etc. However, recent studies analyzed the effects of another ideal time to consume protein - just before sleep!
Night-time eating has been a controversial topic for years. In fact, most general advice has focused on discouraging night-time eating as a strategy to lose weight and improve health. For the most part, this can be true especially when large, mixed meals are consumed just before bed time. However, the same cannot be said if the food portion is small, nutrient-dense, and focused on a single macronutrient (i.e. protein).
Results from recent studies have shown that pre-sleep protein intake (around half an hour before sleep or two hours after dinner) can be advantageous for muscle protein synthesis, muscle recovery, and overall metabolism.
While there are only a few studies on the subject, many studies show that 30-40 grams of casein protein prior to sleep can increase muscle protein synthesis. Another study showed that a combination of 30 grams of whey potein with 30 grams of casein protein and 33 grams of carbohydrate consumed 30 minutes before bed resulted in a higher metabolic rate the following morning.
In one study, young men in their 20s were randomly assigned to consume a protein-focused supplement (about 30 grams casein protein, 15 grams carbs, 0.1 grams fat) or a calorie-free placebo each night before sleep while also participating in a 3 month resistance exercise program 3 times per week. The group that consumed the protein supplement each night before sleep had greater improvements in muscle mass and strength during the course of the 3 month study. A different, more recent study, gave young healthy men and women a casein protein supplement either in the morning (before 12 pm) or in the evening ( 1.5 hours before sleep). All study subjects maintained their usual exercise program. While no statistically significant changes in performance occured, the morning group added 0.4 kg of lean mass while the evening protein group added 1.2 kg of lean mass. Bottom line: we may not be taking full advantage of a prime time to consume protein - in the evening just before sleep. This may potentially improve body composition and performance.
References
Kinsey AW, Ormsbee MJ. The health impact of nighttime eating: old and new perspectives. Nutrients. 2015;7:2648–62.
Trommelen J, Van Loon LJ. Pre-sleep protein ingestion to improve the skeletal muscle adaptive response to exercise training. Nutrients. 2016;8:12.
Kinsey AW, Eddy WR, Madzima TA, Panton LB, Arciero PJ, Kim JS, et al. Influence of night-time protein and carbohydrate intake on appetite and cardiometabolic risk in sedentary overweight and obese women. Br J Nutr. 2014;112:320–7.