I was thinking about insulin the other day and how it affects muscle gain and weight loss. On one hand, you have a powerful hormone that helps drive nutrients to the muscle to recovery and anabolic stimulus. On the other hand, you have a hormone that helps increase fat stores, makes it harder to lose fat, and prevent the body from burning fat for energy. So what is one to do? Do you want an insulin spike or not?
Well, it depends on what your goals are. Thus I decided to put together a quick post on the timing of your supplements to maximize the insulin effect in your body that food and protein powders have.
For Muscle Growth
Without question, whey protein causes a rise in insulin levels, some studies suggest almost as much as white bread. Insulin is a powerful anabolic hormone that has been recommended by many muscle builder experts as a natural tool to help build muscle. A common recommendation the so-called experts made was to consume a high glycemic carbohydrate such as maltodextrin and/or dextrose post workout with protein and creatine. By doing so more nutrients, including the creatine will be absorbed and utilized better.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22647249
Therefore you want to consume whey protein, and hydrolyzed proteins, such as Peptopro, Hydrolyzed Whey Protein 520 post workout. You want to take advantage of your body’s own anabolic hormones.
But with the powerful anabolic effects of spiking one’s insulin level with food, come some negative effects that could possibly outweigh the positive ones. Insulin, many experts believe is the root cause of many health problems in our country. Healthwise, consistent high levels of insulin in the body will result in fat gains. I have written numerous times how the number one enemy when it comes to fat loss is insulin. If you can control insulin levels, you can reduce body fat. Studies and abstracts can easily be found on insulins relationship with gaining weight.
If you want to gain muscle and bulk AND are under the age of 29 I would experiment with using high glycemic carbohydrates post workout. I would not use high glycemic carbohydrates throughout the day. Be careful as not to use meal replacement powders that contain maltodextrin. A lot of supplement companies use maltodextrin in their meal replacement powders because it does not contain sugar, however, it does act just like dextrose.
An example post workout shake would be
2 tbs of hydrolyzed whey protein 520
2 tbs of Peptopro
32 oz of Gatorade
1 tsp of Creapure
If you are over the age of 29, I would recommend eliminating high glycemic carbohydrates from your diet altogether.
Here is an example of a muscle gaining shake for middle age men and women
2 tbs of hydrolyzed whey protein 520
2 tbs of Peptopro
1/3 cup of Oatmuscle
1 tsp of Creapure
For Weight Loss
Weight loss is about calorie reduction AND minimizing loss of muscle mass. Therefore you want to keep those insulin levels low AND cortisol levels low.
1 serving of Muscle Greens
1 tsp of Creapure
1 serving of Deltropin 100 45 minutes pre meals
1/3 cup Mod 6 Carb
1 tsp of Silk Cocoon or Peptopro
1/3 cup of Micellar Casein
I added the Muscle Greens because the vegetables in this product will help support anti-estrogen and cortisol.
In conclusion, the question you have to ask yourself is if you are willing to increase your fat gains for muscle gain. Can you time your high glycemic carbohydrate intake to maximize their anabolic effect, yet at the same time make sure you don’t increase body fat? As you get older it becomes more and more difficult to keep fat off your body. The older you get the lower your testosterone levels get making it harder to lose fat. Timing is the key and nobody but yourself can tell you how your body reacts to spiking your own insulin levels.
Alex Rogers is a supplement manufacturing expert. He has been formulating, consulting, & manufacturing dietary supplements since 1998. Alex invented protein customization in 1998 & was the first company to allow consumers to create their own protein blends. He helped create the first supplement to contain natural follistatin, invented whey protein with egg lecithin, & recently imported the world’s first 100% hydrolyzed whey.
