Life goes fast on protein, faster on whey protein! You may love the smell of whey protein in the morning, but note it, not all protein is created equal. While whey protein is a supplement, these are also perfect companions alongside resistance exercise.
Whey protein contains an incredible range of essential amino acids that are absorbed quickly by the human body. For this reason, whey protein helps improve body muscle protein synthesis and effectively promotes the growth of the body’s lean muscle mass.
But what is it, and how can you use it? Here is the complete guide for you to understand!
Whey Protein: How is It Different from Other Proteins?
Indeed, to understand the composition of whey protein, it is essential to get your body to acknowledge the importance of nutrient content in your diet. Specifically, whey protein is a mixture of all proteins that are isolated from whey. Whey is the liquid part of milk (dairy product) that gets separated during cheese production.
Now, if you observe the composition more closely, milk contains two main types of protein:
- Whey with composition 20% and casein as 80%
In the process of cheese production, whey gets extracted from the watery portion of milk. In the process, the fatty part of the milk coagulate, and thus, whey gets separated as a by-product.
Yes, you heard that right, whey is a by-product!
You have seen this while opening a yogurt container! The liquid that floats on the top that’s whey. Cheesemakers did not know the commercial value of whey over time, so whey was out of the market picture.
How does Whey Protein Taste?
If you are buying whey protein with no added flavor, it will taste bland. Indeed whey proteins do not taste very good- at least not something you can compare with protein shakes! It is the reason why whey proteins come in a variety of flavors. Some of the most popular flavors for whey powders are vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. You can pick any one of them to increase body strength and enhance athletic performance.
Types of Whey Protein Used as Supplements
Whey protein is beneficial for efficiently increasing the production of new proteins in your muscle. Thus, people find it one of the convenient ways to add protein on top of your daily dietary intake.
Whey powder, in general, is well-tolerated by most people. But people with lactose intolerance should be careful before using them. It may be the reason for some people being allergic to them!
There are different types of whey protein, which include whey isolate and whey concentrate. The most popular kind of whey isolate. Why and how? Here is all you need to know!
What is Whey Protein Isolate?
Apart from the numerous nutritional differences between isolate and concentrate, there are also significant differences in their processing methods. We will follow a simple explanation for their processing, which further results in the composition of whey protein isolate than concentrate.
While we discussed that the liquid is a by-product of yogurt or cheese production, it effectively undergoes progressive processing steps before reaching your dining table! The processes involved are essential to increase the protein content.
In the process, after a sufficient and standard protein concentration is achieved, the liquid is safely dried to form whey protein concentrate powder. This protein has a composition of 80% protein by weight. The remaining 20% composition of whey protein concentrate contains fats and carbohydrates.
Further to this, if different processing steps are employed to reduce the carbohydrate and fatty parts of whey powder, a whey isolate protein powder is produced with a composition of 90% or more protein by weight! That means additional processing steps enhance the protein content by weight for whey.
Whey protein isolate contains a higher percentage of protein by weight and thus is the first choice for most of the gym-freaks. The whey isolate also has a much lower fat composition and decreased carbohydrate content per serving!
But, that does not mean that the amino acids in both these types of proteins are all different.
The amino acids found in both of them are structurally identical. The reason is pretty simple to understand- they are derived from the same proteins.
Here is a chart that shows the critical differences between a standard commercial whey protein and a whey concentrate supplement. The data is per 100-calorie serving.
In addition to decreased carbohydrate concentration, whey isolate also has a much lower lactose content. That means it is one of the perfect protein health supplements for people with lactose intolerance!
Apart from the nutritional content for both types, there is another aspect through which you can compare it- though, a secondary aspect! Whey protein isolate is expensive than whey protein concentrate. Indeed, the reasons follow up naturally with increased levels of processing!
It makes sense as a higher purity of whey protein is present in whey protein isolate. But note that taking a large amount of whey concentrate can eventually bring the same amount of protein dose, often at a lower expense.
Now, you may be wondering about the exquisite demand for whey protein in recent times. Whey protein is one of the top-selling health supplements. So, how does these dietary supplement work? And what does whey protein do for your body?
What does Whey Protein do For You?
You can sue why protein as you like it- be it protein shakes or a dietary supplement. But, most popularly, whey protein*-s now find their maximum usage within sports supplementation.
Because of its high protein content and comparatively fast digestion rate, whey proteins are the first choice for sporty individuals. Whey protein can help you achieve numerous benefits in just no time if taken in the appropriate amount.
- It aids in weight loss.
Indeed, in a study published in Nutrition and Metabolism, done for 158 people were given whey protein. The people with whey lost more fat and had more remarkable preservation of lean muscles than subjects of other categories.
- It carries anti-cancer properties.
There were promising results published in the popular journal Anticancer Research. It was for the usage of whey protein concentrate in cancer treatment. But, the studies have shown debatable results, so the research continues to prove them.
- Whey protein helps in lowering cholesterol.
A study well-published in The British Journal of Nutrition tried whey supplements to 70 overweight women and men for 12 weeks. In the process, they measured several parameters, such as insulin level and lipid profile. The result said a significant decrease in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol for people with whey protein supplements.
- Whey protein works significantly to reduce weight loss in people with HIV.
According to the works in the journal Clinical and Investigative Medicine portrays that whey protein considerably helps to reduce weight loss for patients who have HIV.
The bottom line
It will not be wrong to say that whey protein supplementation is essential for a healthy body if taken in appropriate doses. It offers incredible benefits compared to resistance training alone. If you seek much better body strength, you can go on with whey isolate supplementation compared to casein.
Find the perfect whey protein to maintain your muscles with an excellent section with trustworthy and legit customer reviews online now!