Choosing protein supplements: what to consider

Choosing protein supplements doesn’t have to be complicated. If your diet includes meat, fish, eggs and dairy, you can get most of your protein needs without supplements. Choosing only gets complicated once you start weighing every nuance separately.

Choosing protein supplements starts with your total protein for the day

Over the course of a day, it is actually hard to find a bad protein source — unless you are a strict vegetarian or vegan, or allergic to many protein foods. No protein source exists in a vacuum: if you eat oatmeal porridge, bread and an egg and wash it down with whey protein, which has a high biological value (BV), the BV of the whole meal ends up lower than that of whey on its own. That isn’t a problem — what matters is the total amount and variety of protein across the day, not the theoretical score of a single source.

Protein quality is measured with several methods: PD-CAAS, PER, BV. Each of them assesses how well the body utilizes a particular protein — through nitrogen balance, amino acid composition or anabolic effect. In livestock feeding these data matter a great deal, because feed choices there are narrow. In a human diet, however, there are so many protein sources that the weaknesses of one are made up for by another.

The benefits of whey protein and hydrolysates

There is a lot of debate around whey protein. Honestly, one thing actually matters most: how much protein you get from 100 grams of powder and how much it costs. Lactose intolerance is about the only legitimate reason to grumble about whey.

Hydrolysis — breaking protein down into short peptide chains — speeds up absorption noticeably. This is especially important during training and right after it: recovery kicks in faster, and the body doesn’t have time to slip into a deep catabolic state. In the case of collagen, hydrolysis is even unavoidable, because otherwise the body can’t absorb it at all.

Choosing protein supplements for different needs

So what actually happens if you stick with a single protein source day after day? Every protein has its own characteristics beyond building muscle.

The isoflavones in soy protein act as plant estrogens — for women during the menopausal transition they can be beneficial. For men, though, I wouldn’t recommend soy for precisely this reason.

The amino acid profile of collagen is on the poor side — one essential amino acid is missing. But collagen hydrolysate is an excellent supplement for athletes in contact sports and ice sports: it repairs and builds cartilage. The missing amino acid comes from other foods — about 100 grams of free amino acids circulate in the body (the amino acid pool), and the body draws from it as needed.

Wheat protein hydrolysate contains as much as 27–39% glutamine. Because the amino acids occur as peptides, they tolerate a water-based environment better than free L-glutamine — which makes them well suited to drinks, where they keep well. Chicken egg yolk has been found to have a strong libido-boosting effect. Lactoferrin isolated from whey supports immunity, while glycomacropeptide reduces hunger.

Choosing protein supplements: powder, drink or bar?

Convenience is often the deciding factor. Some people prefer a ready-made drink, some a bar, some a powder they mix themselves. For some, low fat content is important, for others lactose-free, for a third group a pocket-sized format — everyone has their own priority.

Eating 5–7 meals a day is hard to pull off without protein-carbohydrate products. Making a snack from 100 grams of flavored whey-carbohydrate powder takes 3 minutes at most. Even the person most buried in work can find time for that.

The price per gram of protein is always worth calculating if your goal is to train systematically and build muscle — over the months, the difference with a cheaper product can be significant.

After a gym workout, the body needs both protein and carbohydrates — protein for recovery, carbohydrates to refill depleted glycogen stores. A pure protein product may not be the best choice, because in that case part of the protein goes toward energy production. Endurance athletes — cyclists and runners — should keep this especially in mind.

FAQ

Is whey protein the best protein source?

Whey protein has a high biological value and is absorbed quickly, but on its own it is not a perfect solution. What matters is the variety of your total protein across the day — a combination of different protein sources gives a better result than overrating a single one.

When should you choose a hydrolysate?

Hydrolysates are absorbed faster, which makes them well suited to consumption around training. For athletes in contact sports, collagen hydrolysate is a useful supplement for supporting cartilage.

Is soy protein suitable for men?

The isoflavones in soy protein act as plant estrogens and may affect hormonal balance in men. For this reason, soy is not recommended for men as a main protein source.

Translated from Body magazine; Author: Timo Kosonen

Translated by: Greta

Source: Turg.Fitness.ee

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