Whey isolate proteins have seemingly overtaken every supplement store shelf in what seems to be an overnight success.
If you solely rely on a mere whey isolate proteins for your protein supplemental needs you may not be meeting your optimal protein requirements or acheiving the results you want from your hard training.
Whey isolate protein by itself DOES NOT contain enough nor all of the necessary amino acids in order to achieve optimal results or to supply your body with all it needs to repair and rebuild itself.
Look for a whey isolate that yields the highest amount of undenatured protein available. Some of the isolating processes used by supplement manufacturers destroy many of the sub-fractions and do not yield as complete of an amino acid profile.
The above is why some people still claim that whey protein concentrate is still the best overall protein source. But WPC, does not yield nearly as high protein percentage per gram as does WPC, also WPC is higher in fat, carbs and lactose than a properly selected whey isolate. I cannot go into detail here as to which isolate process is the best, as certain processes are licensed to particular manufacturers.
A properly selected whey isolate alone contains high amounts of ßeta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, Glycomacropeptides, Immunoglobulins, Bovine Serum Albumin, Lactoferrin, Lactoperoxidase, Lysozyme and a high amino acid profile All of which are very important in heavy training athletes, as these compounds can aid in reducing the risk of overtraining and can aid in the digestion process.
Whey isolate also gives a “quick” boost in aminos as it is digested very easily and rapidly, so it is good to use post training when your body needs that quick boost of aminos to replenish itself. But that does not mean that whey itself covers all the bases and aminos needed to optimally repair broken down muscle tissue.
Here are the aminos needed by all of us:
| Glutamic Acid Taurine Threonine Leucine Aspartic Acid Lysine Serine Proline Valine Isoleucine Phenyl Alanine |
Arginine Tyrosine Alanine Glycine Histidine H Methionine Cysteine Cystine Methionine Hydroxy Proline Tryptophan |
Whey alone will NOT cover all these bases of amino acids one is required to optimally keep the amino acid pool in a positive state to help support muscle growth.
Many of the protein sources people shy away from are some of the best providers of the above mentioned amino acids, such as caseinate...especially caseinate.
Caseinate is extremely high in the amino acid glutamine. Caseinate may help other proteins become more digestible do to the prolonged, “time released” effect caseinate exhibits, which may prolong the time proteins spend in the intestinal tract, which will in turn result in a prolonged anti-catabolic effect in the body until the next dose of protein is taken in.
Another protein that is very often shoved to the side and overlooked is soy protein (commonly derived as soy isolate).
Soy isolate, has many qualities, bodybuilders & people generally trying just to stay healthy should be aware of.
- Soy isolate has the highest amounts of BCAA, Glutamine & Arginine.
- Soy isolate also has been proven to possibly aid in fighting off cancer.
- For the “chemically enhanced’ bodybuilders soy also exhibits anti-estrogen effects.
- Soy isolate may also increase the level of endogenous production of thyroxin, which in turn speeds up metabolism.
- Soy isolate also contains daidzein, one of soy’s isoflavones, which may raise the level of testosterone and growth hormone in bodybuilders.
Then to top off the mix, we add in a little egg white protein, as egg white protein bridges the gap between whey isolate and caseinate. It is high in the sulfur producing amino acids which is crucial in anabolic hormone production and exhibits a very high usability.
So, now, my answer to all of this, and what I recommend based on the above information taken into consideration, is a protein that includes all of the above proteins listed. The result is a fast digesting anabolic protein by way of the whey protein plus an anti-catabolic effect due to the sustained release of the caseinate protein along with the overall health benefits of soy, stick in the egg, to bridge the gap between the whey and caseinate, as egg, falls in between both in the digestion process and this yields a damn near perfect amino acid profile.
The above 3 proteins listed (soy isolates, whey isolates and caseinate), yield the highest percentage of proteins per serving versus milk and whey concentrates, meaning you will get more protein bang for your buck.
I would recommend an ideal ratio of close to (but not necessarily exactly) 40% whey isolate, 25% caseinate, 20% soy isolate and 15 % egg to achieve the optimal desired mixture of proteins, totaling 100%
Many companies will add in “hydrolyzed” proteins. To my mind, too much is lost of the sub-fractions and aminos in the hydrolyzing process, so the trade off is not worth it, in my opinion.
The main thing hydrolyzed protein will do, is provide an ultra-fast digestion/absorption. This is due to the fact that hydrolyzed proteins are pre-digested to some degree, which is also the reason why so many of the important nutrients are lost during the hydrolyzation process.
Another item some companies will add is a milk protein isolate. Don’t get me wrong, I believe milk protein isolates can be a great source of protein, however milk protein is simply a combination of whey and caseinate but in its natural form. It does not yield as high of protein percentage per gram as individual caseinate or whey, so if one already has a combination of caseinate and whey, added milk protein is not worth the trade off.
So in a nutshell, if you rely solely on whey proteins for your protein supplementation, you may be shortchanging yourself and your goals in your bodybuilding career.
All of the proteins listed above exhibit different properties unique to each one, so it is important to pull as many different sources of proteins into your system on a daily basis to make sure all of the amino requirements are met.
Diet is probably the most important aspect of bodybuilding. Many people who live a sedentary lifestyle are unable to meet all their nutrient requirements, so it's a no brainer that heavy weight training athletes need to pay even more specific attention to their diet in making sure they are getting in as many amino sub-fractions from more than simply one or two protein sources.
This is important in order to make sure protein requirements are met.
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