Whey protein is a type of high quality protein found in milk. Basically, milk contains two types of proteins: whey and casein. Whey only comprises 20% of the total protein found in milk, but this type of protein has a higher quality rating and is more soluble than the other. Whey protein is a healthy source of the branched chain amino acids: valine, isoleucine, and leucine. These proteins are complete and contain all essential and non-essential amino acids that the body needs.
Since whey proteins contain so many amino acids, it is widely believed that the use of these proteins can reduce the risk of getting diseases affecting the heart and some types of cancer; however research testing is still being conducted on the actual affects.
Whey proteins are formed when cow’s milk is being turned into cheese; the whey protein is actually a by-product. While no foods actually contain whey protein, there are three forms of whey protein available for purchase. The three forms of whey protein are whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, and whey protein blends.
Whey protein isolate is whey protein in its purest form; the isolates are processed to remove lactose and fat. Whey protein concentrates are generally the cheapest to buy and is low in fat and high in biological value. Whey protein blends are the most popular of the products because it is a high quality mix of both whey protein isolates and concentrate.
This form of protein has many positive affects for your body. It not only provides the body with the perfect amino acid profile for muscle strength, building, and repair, but they actually help you get bigger and stronger while increasing your recovery time. Since whey protein is ingested very fast by the body, it gets to the areas in the body where it’s needed the most and at a very fast speed. These supplements play a big role in your post work-out nutrition. It’s at this time your body is in a catabolic state and needs a quick shot of protein. Research has shown that aside from these benefits, the regular use of whey protein has shown to improve the strength of the immune system.
This type of protein can have noticeable effects on performance. This protein can help you increase lean muscle mass, increase metabolic rate, reduce post workout breakdown, and decrease recovery times for faster muscle repair. Although the product is commonly used by athletes and bodybuilders to promote muscle growth, it has been scientifically useful for vegetarians, people on weight loss programs, and people new to weight or strength training.
There are multiple ways you can consume the whey protein from pre-made bars to powders for shakes, the choice is yours. For example, if you prefer to drink protein shakes made from milk and ice cream, you should drink a shake with one protein scoop before the workout and a shake with one scoop of protein as soon as you set your last weight down. Be careful not to overuse the protein; although it will not hurt you, it will be a waste of the protein because according to many experts your body can only absorb so much protein at one time. It is suggested that depending on several factors, including body type, the body can absorb somewhere between 30 and 60 grams of protein per sitting.