Whey protein is popular with all types of athletes because, in addition to being a complete protein source containing all of the Essential Amino Acids, it digests rapidly so those aminos can go right to work supporting muscle recovery. How fast? A study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism compared the amino acid response of liquid protein sources to solid food.

Using two groups of trained and untrained volunteers, researchers determined that drinking a liquid form of protein like a whey shake helps you achieve peak blood levels of amino acids twice as fast as proteins from solid foods. Peak concentrations were reached in 50 minutes with liquids compared to 100 minutes when food needed to be digested.

True Strength Moment: Although total amino acid levels were similar across all protein sources, skim milk elevated concentrations of the BCAA leucine fastest, reaching a peak in just 25 minutes compared to all other foods. For more on the importance of this branched chain amino acid and the conditionally essential amino acid glutamine, read today’s Performance Blog post atABBperformance.com