In the fitness supplement industry, protein powder can be said to be the king of supplements. From fitness whites to top bodybuilders, it seems that as long as they are fitness people, they will have a bucket of protein powder in their hands.
There is no doubt that protein powder is one of the most useful supplements and is also classified as a Category A supplement by the Australian Institute of Sport. Class A supplements are supported by extensive research and proven to be effective and are the recommended supplements, as do creatine and caffeine.
However, there are countless types of protein powders on the supplement market, such as whey protein powder, casein powder, beef protein powder, egg protein powder and so on. Among these parts of the protein powder, some protein powders have many sub-categories. This makes most people really scratch their heads and don't know how to buy. In fact, many old birds who have been working out for many years may not be able to understand the science behind these protein powders.
So today, Ason will take you to take a closer look at the various types of protein powders, and teach you how to buy them by hand.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" >What is a protein powder? </h1>
Listening to the name, we know that protein powder is powdered protein. It is a protein powder formed by different proteins after various processing methods. For example, whey protein powder and casein powder come from milk, and soy protein powder comes from soybeans.
Therefore, protein powder is certainly not a "hormone" and can become larger than eating. We just think of it as a source of supplemental protein, and we don't need to mythologize it.
Whether you drink protein powder or eat beef, the protein they provide will eventually become an amino acid for the body to use (building muscle, repairing tissue, synthesizing related hormones and enzymes, etc.), so as long as it is a high-quality protein source, there is essentially no difference. The only difference is that protein powders contain fewer trace elements and usually contain only calcium and sodium potassium. Beef not only contains protein, but also rich in trace elements such as heme, B vitamins, iron, and zinc.
Since the role of protein powder is to supplement protein, if the protein intake in our diet is sufficient, then there is no need to drink additional protein powder, and vice versa.
What is the difference between < h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > different protein powders? </h1>
People who have bought protein powder know that the same is 5 pounds of protein powder, some protein powder as long as two or three hundred, some protein powder is five or six hundred, is there any difference between them?
In general, the price of different protein powders depends on the following factors:
Machining process
purity
How "advanced" is this product
However, there is no real bias that the more "advanced" or expensive this protein powder is, the better the muscle gain. The purity or absorption rate of protein powders is not actually a valid marker of protein quality, so they are not necessarily an added value.
For example, the faster a protein powder is absorbed, the higher the risk of amino acids being wasted as energy (oxidation)[1]. But in general, from an anabolic point of view, the speed of absorption is not an advantage.
In addition, purity is not a true quality indicator. For example, studies have found that protein isolate powders obtained through certain processes, such as ion exchange, are indistinguishable from the same type of protein powder with a low protein percentage [2].
What's more, there is no evidence that high-quality protein powders can lead to faster muscle growth than the proteins found in food. Therefore, you must realize that the "advanced" characteristics of protein powders are difficult to justify their sale at a higher price.
Let's take a closer look at the different types of protein powders, and I'll mention whey protein, casein, soy protein, meat protein, and pea protein powder.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > whey protein powder</h1>
Whey protein powder is probably the most common form of protein powder on the market. This part accounts for about 20% of milk protein, and it is considered to be of higher quality than other components in milk protein (casein).
Whey protein powder is cheaper than other "premium" protein powders, so it is recommended to buy.
Whey protein powders can also be divided into the following subcategories:
Whey protein concentrate (WPC): The purity is relatively low, about 80%, the content of lactose and fat is relatively small, and the concentration of minerals such as calcium and sodium is high.
Whey Protein Isolate (WPI): Highest purity, protein percentage can reach 90-95%, almost no lactose and fat, and less minerals.
Hydrolyzed whey protein (WPH): Usually presents in the most "advanced" form. It undergoes an artificial digestion process that breaks down proteins into smaller pieces (polypeptides) so that they are absorbed more quickly.
Natural Whey Protein (NWP): You may have rarely heard of this, but it is one of the more novel types of whey, but similar to concentrated whey. It is obtained through a "special" filtration process of raw milk, with a higher leucine concentration.
So how do you choose to buy? I suggest considering a few points.
First, protein concentration.
If a spoonful of protein powder is 25g, then whey concentrate (80%) has 20g of protein, and whey isolate (90-95%) will only add 2-4g more protein. The difference isn't really big, and it's not worth selling whey isolate for such a high price.
Second, purity.
The separation is purer than concentrated, with less lactose, fat and minerals. Usually, this is not the main reason for choosing separation. But if you are lactose intolerant, or intolerant to other ingredients in milk, even in very small amounts, then whey isolate is more appropriate.
Third, the absorption rate.
Supplement makers often use a higher absorption rate as a selling point, thereby raising prices, but this is questionable. While it has the potential to stimulate greater protein synthesis at fewer doses, the faster rate also leads to faster oxidation (waste). And as I mentioned earlier, there is no evidence that faster absorption is faster muscle gain.
Fourth, leucine content.
Of the different forms of whey, natural whey appears to have the highest percentage of leucine, indicating an anabolic advantage. For a scoop of 20 g, natural whey leucine levels are 0.5 g (2.7 vs 2.2 g) higher than regular whey, but muscle protein synthesis appears to be similar between the two [3]. In addition, after standardizing the "net protein" content, the difference in leucine content is only 0.3g, which is not enough to prove that it is worth buying natural whey.
To sum up, for most people, buying concentrated whey is enough. If you have lactose intolerance or intolerance to other components in milk, then opt for whey isolate.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > casein powder</h1>
Casein is the main component of milk protein, accounting for about 80%.
Because it absorbs more slowly than whey protein, it has long been considered suitable as "bedtime protein." In this way, during a night of fasting, it can maintain a longer anabolic state and inhibit protein breakdown.
However, this theory originated in some short-term research in the 1990s. Due to the lack of long-term measurements, these studies do not clearly show that bedtime intake of casein has a greater advantage over body composition [4].
In recent years, more studies have found that daily fasting for up to 16-20 hours does not negatively affect muscles, even in people with training experience [5]. Now that there is no risk of catabolism, this raises a great deal of doubt about whether we need to take casein before bedtime to "cover" fasting overnight.
In addition, ordinary protein foods may have similar or even longer digestion and absorption rates compared to casein, which further questions the characteristics of casein.
Casein can be divided into the following subcategories:
Micellar casein: The most classic form of casein and the only type that is truly slow to absorb.
Calcium casein: The cheapest form, the structure of the micelle inside is destroyed by heat or acid, so it is absorbed faster.
Hydrolyzed casein: appears in a more "advanced" form (often named after PeptoPro®), but because it is absorbed as quickly as other hydrolyzed proteins, it is promoted for other purposes than in the micellar form.
So which one should you choose? If the goal is to ingest proteins that digest and absorb more slowly, then the micellar form is the only option. But considering that casein powder is more expensive than most whey protein powders, and the "anti-breakdown before bed" properties do not make much sense for muscle gain, I do not recommend buying casein powder.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > soy protein powder</h1>
Soy protein is plant-based protein, and for some special reason, such as vegans, they may only choose plant-based proteins. Among the many sources of plant protein, soy protein is probably the highest quality.
Soy protein powder is mainly present in isolated form, so it can absorb very quickly like whey.
Although soy protein is considered a high-quality protein, studies have shown that soy protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis less than whey protein, beef protein, and skim milk [6]. It is used less for the growth of skeletal muscle and more for the production of visceral tissue and urea.
Another disadvantage of soy protein is the content of soy isoflavones (phytoestrogens), although this has some benefits for postmenopausal women, metabolic diseases, cholesterol levels, etc., but there will be potential endocrine interference effects. But I think most people don't have to worry about this, this can only happen if it is consumed in large quantities over a long period of time.
Soy protein is usually a source of protein for vegetarians, but consider these reasons before choosing to buy soy protein powder, especially if the price is not cheap.
There are other types of plant protein powders to consider, such as pea protein powder, rice protein powder, which are effective alternatives.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > meat protein powder</h1>
In recent years, some supplement makers have started selling meat protein powders, mainly from two types of animal meat: beef and chicken.
Beef proteins are the most studied, but in general, they can be used as hydrolysates or isolates, resulting in rapid absorption.
There are currently a number of meat protein studies that have observed similar muscle growth effects when compared to whey protein [7]. However, these types of protein powders are also somewhat controversial, as some of these proteins are collagen derived from the same animal extramuscular tissue and are not explicitly labeled on the product label.
We know that collagen is a low-quality protein that has no anabolic effect on muscle growth, so it is useless for the purposes for which we drink protein powder.
Considering that meat protein powder is more expensive than base whey, and that some of the protein is collagen, I am not very recommended to buy it, and it is better to choose whey protein.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > pea protein powder</h1>
Pea protein powder is currently the most common form of plant protein powder, probably because of its relatively high protein mass. Currently, there are few long-term studies of the potential of pea proteins for anabolic effects.
The first study, despite showing positive results in muscle growth, was sponsored by pea protein manufacturers and had a number of limitations that led many researchers to question the reliability of the study [8].
In a second small, long-term study, whey-like effects were observed in terms of strength, athletic performance, and body composition after 8 weeks of CrossFit training [9].
Although there is some debate about pea protein, it is higher in leucine than soy and egg protein, and is similar to micellar casein. Thus, even though pea protein is lower in protein quality than soy protein, leucine and essential amino acid concentrations remain consistent and similar.
In fact, studies have found that maximizing muscle protein synthesis is similar to soy protein in the best dose (about 40 g)[10], so it is a very good source of protein for vegetarians, and there are no phytoestrogen components in peas.
But if you're not a vegetarian, I certainly recommend whey protein even more.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > some of the other ingredients in the protein powder need to be considered? </h1>
I believe that after reading the previous content, everyone has a clear understanding of different protein powders and knows which protein powder to choose.
Maybe you still have a question: there are still many prefixes on the name of the protein powder, such as matrix and other words, what is the impact of these on the purchase?
In general, in order to increase the selling point and the price of the protein powder and make more money, the supplement will add some additional ingredients to the protein powder. The most common of these are creatine, BCAAs and glutamine.
From the current research, in the case of adequate protein intake, BCAAs will not help to increase muscle, and the protein powder itself contains BCAAs, so the addition of additional BCAAs is not worth raising the price. In addition, glutamine is not helpful for muscle gain, and it is not worth raising the price. The only thing that helps is creatine, but the amount of creatine added is generally only 1-2g. Usually our advice for creatine is 5g a day, unless you drink 2-3 scoops of protein powder a day, it is better to buy creatine supplements alone, because creatine supplements are cheaper.
All in all, the main purpose of our drinking protein powder is to supplement protein, and some of the additional ingredients added are either mostly useless or the dosage is too low. As for the various nouns, they are just to confuse you and make you difficult to choose. As consumers, we don't need to care so much, just look at the specific ingredients.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > summary</h1>
As a veritable king of supplements, protein powder is still worth buying. Either way, it's better to prioritize protein from food. If you want convenience, then protein powder is definitely the best choice for you.
Among the many protein powders, most people can buy regular whey protein. For people with lactose intolerance, whey isolate is an option. For vegetarians, you can choose soy protein powder or pea protein powder according to your preference.
bibliography:
[1] Schoenfeld BJ, Aragon AA. How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2018 Feb 27: 15: 10.
[2] Jager R et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017: 14: 20.
[3] Hamarsland H et al. Native whey protein with high levels of leucine results in similar post-exercise muscular anabolic responses as regular whey protein randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nuti 2017Nov21;14:43.
[4] Witard OC et al. Protein considerations for optimising skeletal muscle mass in healthy young and older adults. Nutrients. 2016 Mar 23; 8(4): 181.
[5] Tinsley gm et al. Intermittent fasting programs and their effects on body composition: Implications for weight-restricted sports. Strength Cond J. 2015 Aug;37(5),60-71.
[6]bert JA et al. Effect of proteins from different sources on body composition. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2011 Sep; 21 Suppl 2: B16-31.
[7] Sharp m et al. The effects of beef protein isolate and whey protein isolate supplementation on lean mass and strength in resistance trained individuals-a double blind, placebo controlled study. J Int Soc Sports NutI 2015; 12(Suppl 1): Pll.
[8] Babault n et al. Pea proteins oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training: a double-blind. randomized. Placebo-controlled clinical trial vS. whey protein. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2015; 12: 3.
[9] Banaszek a et al. The effects of whey Vs pea protein on physical adaptations following 8-weeks of high Intensity Functional Training(HIFT) A pilot study Sports(Basel). 2019 Jan 4; 7(1). pil: E12.
[10] Gorissen shm et al. protein content and amino acid composition of commercially available plant-based protein isolates. Amino Acids. 2018 DeC, 50(12): 1685-695.