Most Common Questions About Protein Powders
December 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment
What protein powders are available?
The majority of protein powders come from soy, whey, egg, rice and milk. Egg and rice come in concentrated form (less than 80 percent protein), while soy, whey and milk proteins are available in concentrate and isolate (above 90% protein).
What is the greatest source of protein?
Even though there is much argument about this subject, there is not one ‘greatest’ protein source. Each kind of protein has beneficial properties which make it great. An example of this would be with Whey. It digests quickly and it enhances the immune function. It also has a high level of BCAA’s. It improves your cholesterol and lipid profiles and even kidney function. It also has a high quantity of the important amino acid glutamine.
Is soy protein a second-rate protein source?
Basically, this is where the consumer, must be smart and wary of the childish games that are played in this industry. When looked on this as a whole …soy protein isolate is the same in terms of quality as the best whey and milk protein isolates. Additionally, soy protein is soluble, easily digested, anti-catabolic to muscle tissue, anabolic to bone tissue and performs equal to whey or milk proteins in growth and performance studies.
The following are reviews from reliable sources: “Soy and whey protein bar products both promoted exercise training-induced lean body mass gain (in humans), but the soy had the added benefit of preserving two aspects of antioxidant function, “… in additon…” The degree of the decrease of the muscle weights, especially soleus muscles, of rats fed the SPI diet was smaller than that of rats fed the casein diet.
So, basically it is suggested that SPI caused a reduction of the proteolysis of myofibrillar protein in skeletal muscles through an increase of calpain and proteasome activities, in effect to ameliorate the muscle atrophy.”
There are two studies that show soy protein isolate as better in some aspects to both casein and whey proteins. Even whey-only endorsers such as Will Brink have come to realize that soy protein isolate is a beneficial protein source.
Does soy protein create estrogenic problems in men?
Unfortunately, no because soy does have compounds called isoflavones which are estrogenic but these actually have anti-estrogenic properties in a variety of tissues and do not badly affect female or male reproductive organs or hormones. In a study, male monkeys were given soy that had large amounts of isoflavones and another group was fed soy with the isoflavones taken out. There were no differences between the two groups on testosterone, DHEAS, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), testicular weight, etc.
What are the different types of casein proteins on the market?
Casein is the major protein in milk and comprises 80% of its total proteins. In terms of protein powders, casein is mainly available for human nutrition as a denatured caseinate salt and as an undenatured, ultra filtered micellar casein.
What are the differences between micellar casein and the caseinates?
Although micellar casein is more costly, it’s a much higher quality protein because it is produced without chemicals, micellar casein is in its natural form and it is rated as perfect quality.
Micellar casein is called “micellar casein” or “milk protein isolate/concentrate.” They are basically the same thing because both are mainly micellar casein with a tiny amount of whey.
Caseinates, are produced through a chemical reaction. Even though they are considered to be a very pure protein products, they are denatured and of a lesser quality. It is recommended to avoid proteins.
Should I purchase protein concentrates or isolates?
This solely depends on the protein source. With soy, you should only eat the isolate. With egg, you have little selection because it is only available in concentrate. With casein and whey proteins, these can be extremely valuable protein sources depending on what you are aiming for. The isolated proteins are better unless pricing is your only consideration. Isolates also have a much better taste plus there are no fat or carbohydrates.
Is hydrolyzed whey better than regular whey protein?
Not for the average person. Hydrolyzed whey protein has its benefits though for people with serious digestive system problems and for infants. On the whole, those individuals with compromised digestive systems may benefit. On the other hand, for the average person, it is not a good source of protein than the non-hydrolyzed version.
That’s because whey is already considered a fast-digesting protein source. So, there is absolutely no need to boost the rate of protein digestion beyond what God already intended. Even worse, hydrolyzing the protein denatures the protein and all of its beneficial growth factors and immunoglobulins which could severely affect the overall health and growth benefits of the whey.
What about those added enzymes?
This is nothing but a marketing attention-grabber and is damaging. Enzymes speed the rate of digestion and can denature the delicate growth factors before you’re a person can actually absorb them together. So, stay away from protein powder formulas which have added enzymes at all costs.
Should I eat a protein powder that has only one kind of protein powder or should I eat mixtures?
People have been debating for years about which protein source is better. Some claim that egg is better and give a variety of reasons why. Other people claim that its whey protein. While others claim it is casein and give their reasons why. We stand strong on the idea that soy, egg, milk (casein) and whey proteins are created equally as far as of overall protein quality. Soy is better than whey in many aspects.
Whey is better than soy in many aspects as well. Casein is greater than whey in many aspects. But, globally speaking, none of these proteins are actually better than the others. So, it is imperative that we combine these protein sources so that the benefits of every protein source can be taken in one powder.
You will have a the fast-acting benefits of whey, the slow-acting benefits of casein, the immuno-stimulating properties of whey, the cholesterol-reducing properties of soy, the anabolic benefits of whey, the anti-catabolic benefits of casein, the kidney-stimulating properties of soy. You get the point.
