You might image that late-night comedy has benefits, reducing stress. Or late-night reading to bring on sleep, but late-night cottage cheese? Really?
Let’s get the controversy out of the way first. Professional health advocates (western and eastern) generally say don’t eat 3 hours before bedtime – full stop. Additionally, some nutritionists and vegans avoid all dairy. For our purpose, I am going to accept you eat some dairy, and that you occasionally sneak a late-night snack. My husband often declares he can’t sleep on “too-empty” a stomach. I won’t comment on that claim; still many folks indulge in a pre-bed snack. So, best at least to choose well.
Super Pre-Sleep Snacking
Possible improvements in strength, metabolism and general health may be seen from late-night protein consumption. However, we are looking at the specific benefits that research demonstrates from nighttime cottage cheese snacks. It:
- Helps with overnight muscle protein synthesis (growth)
- Improves your net-protein balance, (helpful as we age)
- Assists in post-exercise recovery following daily workouts
… and okay, yes, I suppose we can include one more — - Gratifies those who insist on treating themselves to a bed-time snack. (At a minimum, we’ll chalk it up to psychological satiety).
Protein itself can be controversial, and often the needed amount is over-stated. There are those who disagree. Some folks say they feel better with more protein in their diet, while others wrestle with the results of generally poor diet combinations. Actual protein deficiency is a very rare condition. Nevertheless, our systems (especially muscular) work best when protein levels are well-balanced.
You might remember from biology class that proteins in our bodies refer to the amino acids that we get from food – we can’t simply make them ‘in house.’ There has always been a question of how much protein we should eat and what type (plant or animal) and even what time of day. In the 1980s, when I was taking pre-med classes, we were told that you could average out your protein over a week and be fine. Technically, that is probably still true. Yet, for best results, eating some protein daily is the current, common recommendation, especially from sports medicine and athletic trainers. (Those same trainers might recommend that to kick-start muscle synthesis you need the essential amino acid leucine. Luckily, that particular amino acid is contained in all protein, and these days is included in many multi-vitamin/mineral supplements.)
The CC Studies
A study from the British Journal of Nutrition and another from Maastricht University in the Netherlands corroborate the benefits listed above. Enough so to perhaps reduce the guilt over bed-time repast.
In the British study (beverage-blinded, randomized and cross-over design), the cottage cheese was compared to a placebo and to a Casein product (from concentrated milk-protein source). The one-cup of no-fat cottage cheese (30 grams of protein, 0% fat) preformed equally to the casein product – and in my mind the whole food is a lot more inviting. To my point, notice the “beverage-blinded” method described in their approach – I suspect I might say “yuck.”
Night-time Snack Study Results
The measurements of the studies showed that with this particular food consumption no more calories were burned when sleeping (REE – resting energy expenditure) than usual. However, muscle protein was produced overnight.
“The nighttime sleeping period is typically the longest span of time
This is one of the best advantages of herbals: The longer you take them the better it gets. cute-n-tiny.com cheapest viagra The benefit levitra 50mg of these systems is that they help us in controlling our perception towards the universe. If you are getting hikes in rates, fees, or payments check your contract to see what your rights are in terms of cancelling your account. generico levitra on line But, when it happens frequently, cialis online cheap it is better for the settlement of men toward sexual failure. that most people have without eating… This means that it’s possible that
muscle protein degradation is also at its highest while you’re sleeping.”Michael Ormsbee, Ph.D., F.A.C.S.M
(one of the study authors and associate director of
Florida State University’s Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine)
Eating cottage cheese before slipping off to slumber land, starts a process. In Ormsbee’s words it’s turning sleep-time “into an opportunity for overnight muscle protein synthesis-or growth.”
The Netherlands study was the first one to show that ingesting protein immediately before sleep has advantages. It’s both digested and absorbed well in addition to its muscle-building benefits. Both studies concentrated on active, younger subjects, although that has later expanded. The British study concentrated more on active young woman, the Netherlands study concentrated on men; later data was extrapolated for all ages, men and women and at various fitness levels.
Nutritionists have long assumed that adults do not need as much protein as we age. Part of the basis for this assumption is that as we get older, we are often less efficient at turning that protein into muscle (muscle synthesis). (Incidentally, more than 2 drinks of alcohol a day also disrupts muscle building.) Scientists still question exactly what a higher-protein intake will accomplish for older (rather than younger) subjects and plan to conduct longitudinal studies to track results over a lifetime. Still, it seems reasonable that at a baseline requirement, we need a good protein balance to maintain what we have, particularly in muscle health. Remember, I say this while being someone who has never pushed a high-protein diet.
FINAL THOUGHT
I like cottage cheese; perhaps you do not. Future studies on comparable whole food proteins may be more to your liking. [I am waiting for word on chick peas.] In the meantime, remember that the similar calorie protein drink (30 grams) performed equally as well (not counting the taste). It’s likely that similar calorie levels of another protein food might do the same (products without sugar of course).
The big take-away is that a 1-cup serving of cottage cheese might serve us rather well in building muscle as we sleep. As we age, anything that we can do easily to protect and maintain muscle strength makes our ADLs (activities-of-daily-living) easier and independence more likely.
Speaking of the muscle-strength goal, don’t forget to check out PizzazzEE-25 (at www.PizzazzEE.com) If you haven’t worked with it yet, at least watch the introduction video to understand what you will gain.
References:
Protein ingestion before sleep improves postexercise overnight recovery – PubMed (nih.gov) Med Sci Sports Exercise 2012 Aug;44(8):1560-9. DOI:10.1249/MSS.0b013e31824cc363. Protein ingestion before sleep improves post exercise overnight recovery. Peter T Res 1, Bart Groen, Bart Pennings, Milou Beelen, Gareth A Wallis, Annemie P Gijsen, Joan M G Senden, Luc J C VAN Loon PMID: 22330017
—
Picture title cottage cheese creature, unknown author – licensed by Creative Commons under CC BY SA
