Is All WHEY The Same?
Protein. To supplement or not to supplement? There are many varied opinions, theories and facts about how much protein is necessary to build and maintain lean mass. And I’ll leave that for subject of another article.
What I’m going to talk about here is Whey protein for supplementation and the different types because not all whey proteins are created equal.
There are four basic whey protein powders (I’m only addressing the powders here) used for supplementation. They are concentrate, isolate and hydrolyzed or hydrosylate and blends.
Concentrate while it may sound good is the cheapest to produce and generally has the lowest bioavailability. Bioavailability is how much of the protein is actually absorbed and how much is just passed into the gut and ferments in to gas. Typically low quality or cheap whey protein is made from this variety. Blends will also contain concentrate in varying amounts. Usually blended with isolate or even milk or soy to increase the protein value. Many of the whey protein powders found in discount chain stores will be of this variety which is why they’re so cheap. You get what you pay for.
Whey isolate costs more to produce is lower in fat and milk sugars and is much purer with a higher level of bioavailability. Isolate will also be more expensive.
Hydrolized or Hydrosylate is the most pure and expensive to produce and has very high degree of bioavailability.
Many times you find whey protein will contain a blend of all three. Now even though the order on the ingredients list is supposed to be hierarchical since they’re not regulated by the FDA there’s no guarantee what percentage of each you are getting.
Typically concentrates are a good choice for maintenance supplementation. Use them to meet to your daily protein requirements throughout the day.
Straight Isolate and hydrolyzed are best for post workout consumption were their lower fat content and high bioavailability is for rapid uptake.
For recommendations of brand, type, how much and when to supplement if you bought a program from us use the kind we suggest. I will be writing more on this topic in the future. Not everyone needs the same amount of protein. This all varies on overall lean body mass and goals.
Whey protein powders can provide a great source of convenient supplementation. But remember that’s to supplement not replace. You should have a well-structured nutrition plan to meet your training goals and a well thought out supplementation plan as well.
Yours in health,
Kevin Edwards CPT,CFNS,CFTS,CSFS
