In this article we’re going to look into the most commonly used sports supplement, whey protein, what it is, why you should supplement with it and how. We’ll also touch onto different types of protein supplements and the different benefits these can have.
So what is whey protein? To put it into an analogy you could look at a portion of whey protein as a “powdered chicken breast”. In more detail whey protein is derived from milk, constituting approximately 20% of milk’s total protein.
Whey represents a high biological quality with a considerable share of essential amino acids (EAA) - these are amino acids that can’t be produced by the human body and need to be delivered through food. As well as branch chain amino acids (BCAA) (you could view these as the building blocks of muscle tissue) and lysine. Due to this high content of EAA and BCAA, the ease of digestibility and the abundance of flavours available whey has gained huge popularity within supplementation, weather as a stand-alone product or as an ingredient in such other supplements as protein bars, meal replacement powders, mass gainers, etc. It can also be broken down further into 3 separate categories:
- Concentrates which consist of 70-80% of pure protein,
- Isolates which contains 95% or more pure protein and
- Hydroysolates which have a high biological value (BV) of 157 - the higher the BV the better absorbed the product is by the body, therefore a quicker release of amino acids into the blood stream occurs. These 3 variants are produced through microfiltration, ultrafiltration and ionic exchange.
Why someone would choose to supplement with whey protein can boil down to many factors but the most common being the difficulty of obtaining enough protein through the consumption of whole foods. Other factors can be things like time or traveling where food preparation can be limited.
Dosage:
Whey protein is a type of highly-processed food item of a high concentration of protein. To put it into a metaphor, a portion of whey protein is somewhat a “powdered chicken fillet”. That way, we raise a question of how to dose lean meat? There is no universal pattern. While composing your diet with some help of web-forum users or web-based dieticians, it can be easily noticed which products are high in protein (meat, eggs, fish, dairy). If supply of those ingredients is too low in natural meals, we add whey protein to balance the deficiency. We aim to compose a well-balanced diet, where the majority of supplied protein is of animal origin.
Consequently, if the time gap between meals is longer than we had originally planned and a high-quality, full-of-protein food is out of our reach, a portion of the supplement will be a perfect solution. It is worth remembering that protein supplement (such as whey protein) is easily digested, so it does not pressure the digestive system. This acts in its favour when considered as a post-workout meal to deliver amino acids necessary for recuperation of damaged tendons.
As you can see from the above, dosage is a highly individual matter. Every case should be considered separately.
Types of whey protein supplements:
Amino acids which cannot be produced by human body are called the Essential Amino Acids (EAA), and they need to be delivered through food. Proteins which contain all 9 of the EAAs are called the complete (whole) proteins and they are usually derived from animal foods – plant-derived foods are usually insufficient, with either too low contents of specific EEAs or missing certain ones overall. Protein supplements are produced from all kinds of protein foods, in which, aside from the protein itself, contained are carbohydrates and fats. A powder consisting of 70 to 85% of pure protein is a concentrate. An isolate, which can also be produced on a mass scale, is a product of a lower content of non-protein ingredients, consisting in 95% of pure protein. Whey protein supplements are divided into fast absorbing and time released protein.
TIME RELEASED PROTEINS
Micellar casein
It is a natural, non-denatured form of casein found in milk. It is believed that it is the only protein which acts and an anti-catabolic agent and prevents muscles from being decomposed. Digestion process of casein is exceptionally slow and makes it a rich source of protein for your muscles long after other whey proteins have stopped acting, causing a better retention and utilisation of nitrogen. Micellar casein also assures a constant flow of amino acids to the blood system, which makes it a perfect time-released, anti-catabolic protein. In reality, the research that has been conducted on micellar casein proves that it is the only anti-catabolic protein of 7 hours of release that has been confirmed clinically, hence having the ability to feed your muscles throughout the entire day.
Ovalbumin
Egg white is a common standard, to which other forms of protein are compared. Egg’s isolate is a fatless source of protein, having the highest Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER). Egg’s isolate contains the full range of amino acids, high concentration of BCAA and high biological values, being a perfect choice as an anabolic, muscle-building, anti-catabolic protein. In most sports, including weight-lifting, ovalbumin is considered to be the best source of protein.
Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC)
It is probably the most popular and appreciated form of protein on the market. Numerous researchers prove a variety of benefits of WPC, with biologically-proportional amounts of amino acids and peptides not being the only ones. Aside from anabolic properties, the users also observe an overall increase in their bodies’ immunity – it has been proved that WPC causes an increase in the level of glutathione, a detoxifying agent.
Soy protein isolate
It contains all EAA in the amount and proportions approximately close to those required by human body. What is more, it also levels the cholesterol, strengthens the immune system, strengthens bones, regulates hormone levels, increases the efficiency of insulin and hormones of thyroid, which helps to reduce fat tissue (especially cellulite among women). It also prevents arteriosclerosis. Most of the research proves that soy protein can also lower sugar levels in the blood system, preventing the fat tissue from growth. Compared to any animal-derived protein, soy protein is the slowest-excreted protein, which not only prevents from the loss of valuable nitrogen, but also has a positive influence on calcium regulation system.
Calcium caseinate
It is characterized by a high nutritional quality and has an exceptionally long and balanced kinetics (slow decomposion of caseinate in the body results in time-lapsed absorption) among other protein. These features assure a long-lasting delivery of amino acids, available for growth of muscle tissue and an effective inhibition of catabolic changes, especially in the post-workout phase and in the night post-absorption phase. It multiplies the growth of strength, helps build and regenerate muscle tissue.
Milk’s protein isolate
Everything that’s the best in milk without unnecessary lactose, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids. It contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), peptides of glutamine and lactoferrin (easily-absorbed form of iron with strong antimicrobial qualities).
FAST ABSORBED PROTEINS
Whey protein isolate
The purest form of whey protein available on the market. It has a better quality than the whey protein concentrate, and it contains no fat, so based on that isolate you can build a fat-free muscle mass without absorbing an additional amounts of fat. Whey protein isolate is easily digested, owing to the purity and lack of lactose. It has the highest nutritional values and is the fastest-absorbed protein, instantly delivering BCAA amino acids to the blood system, which makes it a perfect anabolic protein.
Whey protein hydrolysate
It has a high biological value of 157 (the higher the BV, the better absorbed the product is by human body), amino acids are quickly released to the blood system.
To summarise:
Examples of intakes of various kinds of whey protein
On an empty stomach, 1 portion 20 minutes before breakfast http://www.powerbody.co.uk/olimp-nutrition/pure-whey-isolate-95.html
During the day, as a meal supplement http://www.powerbody.co.uk/betancourt-nutrition/big-blend.html or http://www.powerbody.co.uk/san/100-pure-platinum-whey.html or http://www.powerbody.co.uk/olimp-nutrition/whey-protein-complex-100.html
Directly after the training you should drink a carbohydrate supplement. 20 minutes after, 1 portion of: Olimp-supplements Pure-whey-isolate-95-chocolate-2200g
For the night, one portion http://www.powerbody.co.uk/olimp-nutrition/mega-strong-protein.html
