What is whey protein? Whey protein supplements are the biggest selling nutritional supplements for bodybuilders and strength athletes; most meal plans you read suggest including a whey protein drink at least once a day. But what does one look for when buying whey protein? During the 1990s whey protein became very much in vogue and shoved egg protein nearly all the way out of the market place. This followed research indicating whey protein was superior when it came to protein synthesis.
Why should I include whey protein in my diet? * It has a high biological value (BV) which means a high amount of the actual protein from whey is absorbed into the body, compared to other foods. * The nine essential amino acids (EAAs - indispensable amino acids) are all included in whey protein. * Whey protein also has high amounts of the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) - valine, isoleucine and leucine, all are essential for muscle growth and repair in the body.
How fast is the protein absorbed into the body? Absorption and digestion of whey protein tends to be very quick due to the shorter chain amino acids. This is considered to be advantageous, post-workout for example, as protein will be in high demand by the body. The absorption rates for the different types of protein supplements vary. The approx. timings are as follows: WPH: 15mins, WPI: 30mins, WPC: 1hour
What are the different classes of protein available? Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC): The first filtration process in the production of whey protein is ultra-filtration, where the protein is separated from the fat and lactose in milk through a porous membrane. Most WPC which are popular on the market are generally 68-80% protein. Although WPC isn’t the purest protein because it’s less processed. It is still a very high quality protein powder, just with the presence of some fat and carbohydrate which will be perfectly adequate for a recreational trainer. One benefit of WPC is that the less processing, means that most of the beneficial whey protein fractions are still undamaged. Also it’s generally less expensive than whey protein isolate or hydrolysate.
Whey Protein Isolate (WPI): Even more processing and filtering has been applied to WPI, meaning it is purer than WPC. WPI is typically 85-95% protein, which would suggest it would be a good choice if you have a strict diet and you’re wanting to keep your fat and carb intake low. WPI also contains less lactose than WPC so it would be a benefit for those with severe lactose intolerance.
Whey Protein Hydrolysate (WPH): If either WPC or WPI go through a hydrolysis process, the longer protein chains are broken down into even smaller peptides. Whey is already made up of fairly short peptides, but hydrolysis makes these even smaller and is like ‘pre-digesting’ the protein. This is even easier on the digestive system and there is a quicker absorption percentage. WPH is the best post-workout protein around, but it is expensive. WPH is the ultimate protein to take immediately after a workout, as your body absorbs it very quickly simply because it is more digested than other whey.
Which Protein Powder should I choose? With the huge range of different protein powders and brands available on supplement store shelves, it can be confusing. You have to consider the aspects which are important to you as an individual. Price may be the overwhelming factor, and if this is the case, WPC will be perfectly adequate and does the job very well.
Whey is great and was undoubtedly a revolution in bodybuilding nutrition. However, other proteins like casein, soya, egg and meat all have their own benefits. Protein blends of two, three or more different proteins can be useful to structure correctly into your diet. Casein is a slowly digested and absorbed protein providing a steady influx of amino acids for up to a few hours, ideal to prevent muscle protein breakdown during periods of fasting, like overnight.
There are lots of factors that need to be considered in our quest to grow bigger muscles. Will a slightly quicker absorption of protein make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things? Probably not. A healthy diet and hard training has got to be more important. The idea of whey protein is to supplement your diet but your intake from ‘real food’ is still crucial if you want to grow. Taking this into consideration, most of us will want to use Whey Protein Concentrate to gain muscle and improve your physic. If you have more money to spend then maybe using a purer powder, will give you an edge over your competitors. The rest of us though, the Average Joe, need to consider if WPI or WPH are worth the extra cash to meet our training goals.
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