Muscle Milk Protein Powder: A Dietitian’s Review

What Is Muscle Milk Protein Powder?

Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder is a supplement that provides high-quality protein from milk to support muscle recovery and growth.

Each two-scoop serving provides:

• Calories: 280
• Fat: 9 grams
• Carbs: 21 grams
• Protein: 32 grams

Muscle Milk Genuine is also an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals, providing at least 20% of the daily value (DV) for calcium and magnesium and vitamins A, C, and D.

Muscle Milk Genuine provides a blend of the major milk proteins, whey and casein.

Whey is fast-digesting while casein is slow-digesting.

To make a shake, mix two scoops of Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder with at least 8 fluid ounces (240 mL) of water or milk using a shaker cup. Stirring with a spoon also works.

You can use more or less fluid, depending on your desired thickness.

You can also add Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder to pancake batter, smoothies, or other recipes to boost the protein content.

Enjoy Muscle Milk Genuine around your workouts to support muscle repair and growth or as a snack between meals to boost your daily protein intake.

Available flavors include Chocolate, Cookies ’n Crème, Strawberries ’n Crème, and Vanilla.

And you can choose from different container sizes that contain either 12, 16, or 32 servings.

Muscle Milk Genuine is third-party tested by NSF to ensure it contains the ingredients listed on the label and is free of substances banned by major sporting organizations.

CytoSport, an American manufacturer of sports nutritional products owned by PepsiCo, produces Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder.

Is It Effective?

Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder claims to help you build muscle and have sustained energy.

Build Muscle

Muscle hypertrophy or growth is the process by which amino acids, the building blocks of protein, become incorporated into muscle, thereby increasing muscle size. (1)

This process is driven by exercise, especially weight training, which strains the muscle and triggers a series of events that ultimately leads to muscle growth.

However, muscle growth can only occur when there are sufficient amino acids from protein available. (2)

This is why consuming enough protein each day is important to support muscle growth, even on days that you don't train.

While protein supplements like Muscle Milk aren’t needed per se, they make it easier to achieve daily protein targets since they are concentrated sources of protein.

They are also relatively inexpensive compared with whole-food forms of animal-based protein like meats and poultry.

A review of 49 studies involving more than 1,800 participants showed that protein powder supplementation combined with weight training significantly increased muscle strength and muscle size as well as improved body composition. (3)

The review suggested that total protein intakes of 0.74 grams per pound (1.62 grams per kg) of body weight support optimal muscle gains.

Of course, it’s best to get most of your protein from whole food sources, but protein supplements can still be a relatively inexpensive and convenient way to help you meet your protein targets.

However, other research suggests that up to 1 gram per pound (2.2 grams per kg) of body weight per day may be beneficial. (4)

In either case, Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder provides a combination of high-quality fast-digesting protein (whey) and slow-digesting protein (casein) to provide a more sustained release of amino acids.

Although the combination of whey and casein may be beneficial, it’s unlikely to offer greater muscle-building benefits compared with whey alone. (5, 6, 7)

Still, whey protein concentrate is the primary protein source in Muscle Milk Genuine.

Sustained Energy

It’s unclear what Muscle Milk means by suggesting their Genuine product provides sustained energy.

However, it may be assumed that this claim is related to the product’s higher calorie, carbohydrate, and fat content.

Each two-scoop serving provides 280 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 21 grams of carbs.

Compare these numbers to traditional whey protein powders, which usually provide less than 150 calories and around 3 grams of fat and carbs.

Muscle Milk Genuine supplies more protein than traditional whey protein powders as well, but most of the extra calories provided come from fat and carbs.

The extra calories from these nutrients can help give you more energy to fuel for your workouts or tackle your day.

Side Effects and Safety

Protein powders have a strong safety profile, especially when they are third-party tested for purity and potency like Muscle Milk Genuine.

However, people who are lactose intolerant should avoid Muscle Milk Genuine.

If you are lactose intolerant, a better solution would be a whey protein isolate, which contains little lactose, usually one gram or less. Another option is a plant-based protein which contains no milk products at all.

Muscle Milk also contains fermentable oligosaccharides, making it potentially unsuitable for people with irritable bowel syndrome.

Like many other protein powders, Muscle Milk utilizes artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose and acesulfame potassium, to which some people may be sensitive.

Although artificial sweeteners have been suggested to play a role in the development of obesity, diabetes, and cancer, there isn’t strong enough evidence to reliably suggest or oppose these claims. (8)

Finally, Muscle Milk contains some maltodextrin, a type of carb derived from rice, corn, potato starch, or wheat, which may cause digestive problems in people with congenital sucrase-isomaltase disease (CSID) who lack the enzyme needed to digest the carb. (9)

Muscle Milk Genuine can be safely used by most age groups, ranging from teens to older adults.

Cost and Where to Buy

Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder is available online and in stores.

Although you cannot purchase the product through Muscle Milk’s website directly, they do provide links to online retailers that carry the product from which you can purchase.

If you prefer in-store shopping, you can input your zip code into the search function on their website for a list of retailers that carry it.

Because you cannot purchase Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder directly through the Muscle Milk website, the return policy and any money-back guarantees will vary depending on where you purchase it.

Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder costs around $18 for 12 servings, $22 for 16 servings, or $44 for 32 servings, but the cost will vary depending on the retailer and sometimes the flavor, with less popular flavors costing less.

You can contact the company on their website through email or by phone if you have questions about Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder or their other products.

Their website also houses several recipes that call for Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder, such as protein pancakes, protein cookies, smoothies, and more.

How Muscle Milk Protein Compares

Muscle Milk Genuine is different from traditional whey protein powder supplements in that it contains a blend of the two main milk proteins, whey and casein.

Protein powder blends have become increasingly popular since they are a quick and easy way to support muscle recovery and growth, especially if you are not meeting protein needs with food.

Many people also prefer the taste of these blends, since casein offers a more creamy texture.

Here’s a look at how Muscle Milk Genuine compares with other popular milk protein blends:

All prices were pulled from Amazon.com for consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

Muscle Milk Genuine Protein Powder is a high-quality, third-party tested protein supplement.

It contains a mix of fast- and slow-digesting proteins to support muscle recovery and growth.

Compared with traditional whey protein powder, Muscle Milk Genuine provides more calories in the form of carbs and fat for sustained energy.

Muscle Milk Genuine is safe for most people and provides good value for the price compared with other milk protein powder blends.