Most athletes rely on whey protein to provide anti-catabolic support pre-workout that helps negate the breakdown of muscle tissue during training, or they use it within 30 minutes post-workout to kick-start protein synthesis and muscle rebuilding. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition points to whey’s appetite suppressing qualities.

Volunteers at the University of Toronto were given 10 to 40 grams of whey protein half an hour before sitting down to an all you can eat pizza buffet. The more whey protein they consumed before eating the less pizza they ate. Whey protein also helped blunt the release of blood sugar and insulin.

True Strength Moment: Eating healthy has many benefits, and it appears from this research that supplementing a healthy diet with whey protein shakes might offer more than the obvious muscle-building advantages. If that post-workout whey protein shake comes half an hour or so before a sit-down meal, you might be getting more mileage out of those fast-acting amino acids.