Before deciding which protein powder is the best or necessary for your goals, here
is a short protein primer to help you make sense of the thousands of different protein
powders from which to choose:
• Whey protein isolate
• whey protein concentrate
• Hydrolyzed whey
• Calcium caseinate
• Egg white
• Whole egg
• Micellar casein
• Etc, etc, etc…
What are the benefits of all these different forms of protein?
Whey protein makes up 20% of total milk protein. Whey is recognized for its
excellent amino acid profile, high cysteine content, rapid digestion, and interesting
variety of peptides.
Casein protein makes up 80% of total milk protein. Casein is recognized for
its excellent amino acid profile, slow digestion and interesting variety of peptides.
Since casein is slowly digested into your bloodstream, don't use it during workouts
or after workouts - you need a fast absorbing protein at these times.
Soy protein is the most controversial of all protein types. While the soy
groupies have gone to great lengths to label soy as a super food with magical effects,
there is also a good amount of research that suggests soy protein may be contraindicated
in many situations. Because of all the confusion, I suggest avoiding soy protein
altogether and sticking to the other types listed.
Protein Blends are generally a combination of several types of protein blends
such as whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, egg protein, casein protein,
and soy protein. Why would you want a blend anyway? You will receive the full spectrum
of proteins and you will receive varying rates of absorption from the different
types of protein.
Whey hydrolysates (also known as hydrolyzed whey protein, and are also called
peptides), are powerful proteins that are more quickly absorbed; more so than any
other form, since your body prefers peptides to whole proteins. Hydrolysates are
produced through very low heat, low acid and mild enzymatic filtration processes,
(those highest in the essential and the branched chain amino acids) and are potentially
the most anabolic for short-term protein synthesis such as 15 minutes prior to a
workout, during a workout and immediately after a workout.
Whey Protein Versus Whey Isolate:
Most whey protein powders that stock the supplement shelves are made up of whey
concentrate and mixed in with a small portion of whey isolate. Comparing the two,
whey protein isolate is more expensive than whey protein concentrate because it
has a higher quality (more pure) and a higher BV (biological value). Whey protein
isolate contains more protein and less fat and lactose per serving. Most whey protein
isolates contain 90-98% protein while whey concentrates contain 70-85% protein.
Whey protein isolate is the highest yield of protein currently available that comes
from milk. Because of its chemical properties it is the easiest to absorb into your
system. Obviously with its high concentration, it appears that an isolate protein
would be the obvious choice instead of a concentrate. However, this is an individual
decision because the isolate is more expensive, and just because it is purer does
not guarantee that it will help build bigger muscles. Its extra concentration may
not justify its extra cost.