After whey protein, is milk the next best source of protein?

Hi Ralph,

If you mean whey protein is the best protein in terms of biological value (Biological value (BV) is a measure of the proportion of absorbed protein from a food which becomes incorporated into the proteins of the organism's body) then yes, whey protein has a high BV.

The BV of an egg is actually higher than that of milk. See below for the BV of some more popular protein sources:
Whey protein concentrate: 104
Whole egg: 100
Cow milk: 91
Beef: 80
Casein: 77
Soy: 74

Thanks a lot, Scott!

Also, of the above-listed proteins, milk contains lactose and some fat (depending upon the type of milk). Whereas the others are very low in carbs or carb free.This not only means that milk delivers added simple sugars (and fat compared to many of the other proteins) but also that the sugars could be partially responsible for milk's higher than expected BV, as the carbs would boost insulin and provide calories that would tend to positively influence the muscle building process and therefore the BV score.

The reason that I think milk's BV is inflated is because casein is 80% of the protein found in cow's milk and it only has a BV of 77% (as Scott states above). So you would expect milk protein to have a BV closer to 84 or so.

Good to know...

Thank you Mark!

The old time bodybuilders, I think the term for them was "health nut", would use milk and egg protein. It was chalk in a can but they got pretty big.
Then there was Met-rx and bodybuilders got pretty big on the original formula.
Whey hit the scene, I tried it and lost mass. I was bummed because it tasted awesome.
One day, I met up with Scott Connelly, the formulator for Met-Rx, and he told me that whey falls short in building muscle. He claimed that whey oxidizes once it gets in your system and becomes less active. He also claimed that Met-Rx would never produce a whey product. Well, he sold the company and Rexall made a whey product.
I do realize that this information flies in the face of mainstream conventional science. I went back on my milk and egg protein combo and started gaining strength and size again.
My suggestion, try a milk and egg product and try a whey product for 3-4 weeks each and see how you fair (all else being equal). Often in my career, I have asked "What if I did the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing?" Sometimes, I have won big.