Whether
you chose to walk into a supplement store or browse online supplement retailers from the comfort of your home, it is clear to see that we are not exactly restricted in our choice of protein powder to use in our post workout shake. Long gone are the days of downing a lumpy protein shake with your eyes closed and a grimace on your face as you muster up all of your remaining strength not throw the whole thing back up! Today, we are provided with numerous different brands and types of protein with most brands offering multiple types including whey concentrate, whey isolate, casein and various time release proteins. We are also able to purchase protein powders from beef and plant sources should we wish. The various benefits offered by different protein sources can be saved for another article as even when it comes to just choosing a whey protein to purchase the number of options can still seem like a mine field!
Firstly, let us consider the two main reasons why the physique athlete consumes whey protein:
a) Whey proteins are digested quicker than any food protein sources.
b) Whey shakes can supplement the protein an athlete consumes through food sources in order to hit their daily protein consumption target.
The whey proteins available today can be split into three broad categories, concentrates, isolates and hydrolysates.
Whey Protein Concentrates
A typical whey protein concentrate will consist of around 75-80% protein. Through a process of micro filtration or ultra-filtration most of the carbohydrates and fat from the initial whey are removed. This minimal processing by comparison to that undertaken with hydrolysates or isolates means that the price of whey concentrates is generally a lot lower at the expense of some of the fat and carbohydrate content (in the form of lactose) remaining in the final product. However, it also means that most of the beneficial peptide fractions remain intact after the filtration process. Although still rapidly digested in comparison to plant or food protein sources, the fat and carbohydrates contained in whey protein concentrate will have the effect of slowing the rate of digestion.
Whey Protein Isolates
If the fat and carbohydrate content is a concern then high quality isolates may be the way to go, with the emphasis on high quality. Whey protein concentrate can be further filtered to virtually eliminate the carbohydrate and fat content leaving a product which can contain as much as 97% protein. There are two methods of processing that a whey protein isolate product may have undertaken and the way that the product has been filtered will have a great effect on the makeup of the final product.
Ion-exchange filtered isolates are the cheaper type of isolate to manufacture but during the ion exchange process many of the proteins subfractions are damaged. This results in a loss of many of the health promoting benefits of the whey and a somewhat denatured amino acid content.
Microfiltration and cross-flow microfiltration by comparison allow most of the remaining fat and carbohydrate content from the concentrate to be removed without the disadvantage of significantly denaturing the product. The highest quality microfiltered and cross-flow microfiltered isolate powders now contain a protein content close to that of ion-exchange filtered products, offering virtually zero carbohydrates or fat.
Whey Protein Hydrolysates
Further processing can be applied to cross-flow microfiltered isolates to produce hydrolysates or partially digested proteins. Digestive enzymes are added to the isolate to break it down into smaller peptide chains. The most effective being hydrolysates that contain mainly di- and tripeptides (chains of 2 and 3 amino acids), these are absorbed into the blood extremely quickly even when compared whey protein isolates. Due though to this rapid rate of absorption protein synthesis may be short lived. Hydrolysates may be the ideal protein source to consume immediately after your workout so long as they are followed by a slower digesting protein source soon after such as a post workout meal.
Conclusion
These different protein types all exist on the market as we all have our own preferences and they all have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages. In most cases, a whey protein concentrate is a good choice, but for an athlete who is lactose intolerant a cross-flow filtered protein will provide a better option. If consuming a number of shakes a day, the fat and carbohydrate content offered by concentrates will soon add up which needs to be of consideration to the competitive athlete. But the extra processing the whey has undertaken to reduce its carbohydrate and fat content or to increase its absorption rate will be reflected in the price.
Subscribe to RxMuscle on Youtube
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|||
