Evaluating Whey Protein Supplements

Allow me to start off by saying that supplements of any kind have very specific uses, and whey protein is no exception. Whey protein is best used as a post workout supplement to enhance recovery. It is only for those who are happy with their body composition, and it is not recommended for those are trying to remedy their autoimmune diseases or acne.

Despite varying scientific studies that confirm and deny the so-called “anabolic window,” my experience is that my recovery is benefited by consuming a whey protein shake immediately post workout. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, use your Google-Fu and read up on the following terms: ”anabolic window,” “amino acids,” “muscle glycogen.”

Whey protein is a prime pick for post workout protein because of its relatively high concentrations of essential branched chain amino acids and it’s fast digestion. Whey is separated from cow’s milk (think Miss Muffet and her curds and whey) and is dehydrated and powered into whey protein concentrate. Concentrate is the lowest grade of whey protein, as some of the protein is still attached to the carbohydrate and fat in the milk. Concentrate is refined further into an almost pure protein form called whey protein isolate. When you further refine isolate to the point of “pre-digesting” it by breaking the actual proteins into smaller parts, called peptides, you get hydrolyzed whey protein isolate, or whey protein hydrolysate, or whey protein peptides. The idea that as the milk is refined into purer and smaller whey protein parts, the quicker and easier it is to digest within the anabolic window. Each step in the refinement process costs companies more money, and so each end product is incrementally more expensive. You can expect to pay about $.50-$1 for every 20 grams of concentrate, $1 for every 20 grams of isolate, and $1-$2 for every 20 grams of hydrolyzed isolate.

Each whey protein you find in a store is housed in a shiny jug, boasting great results. Ignore all the marketing, note the price label and flip the container over to look at the nutritional label.

Serving Size 1 scoop(s) Servings Per Container 31 Amount Per Serving % DV Calories 120.00 Calories from Fat 10.00 Total Fat 1.00 g 2% Saturated Fat 0.50 g 3% Cholesterol 30.00 mg 10% Total Carbohydrate 3.00 g 1% Sugars 1.00 g Protein 24.00 g 48% Calcium 140.00 mg 14% Sodium 60.00 mg 3% Potassium 220.00 mg 6% Enzyme Blend 25.00 mg ** Aminogen 0.00 mg ** Patented Bioactive Polypeptide enzyme ststem ** Lactase (standardized to 100000 FCC units/g) 0.00 mg ** ** Daily Value (DV) not established † Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs: Calories: 2000 2500 Total Fat Less than 65 g 80 g Sat. Fat Less than 20 g 25 g Cholesterol Less than 300 mg 300 mg Sodium Less than 2400 mg 2400 mg Total Carbohydrate 300 g 375 g Dietary Fiber 25 g 30 g Calories per gram: Fat 9• Carbohydrate 4•Protein 4

Other Ingredients: Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Peptides), Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Artificial Flavor, Lecithin, Acesulfame Potassium

Here’s a good old 2lber of Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey. This jug retails for about $30, so we’re paying a little under a dollar per 20 gram serving of whey. Make sure you take all three parts into account: grams per serving, number of servings, and cost per container. Some companies may list grams per serving as much higher (eg. 60 grams), but have a much lower number of servings (eg.15), so it’s important to do the math. Also as a side note relating to servings, ignore the scoop size, as there is no standard for a scoop size. Typically a scoop will contain one serving, but sometimes 2-3 scoops is a serving. Be sure to note the number of scoops, not the size of the scoops when portioning your protein.

When buying a protein, you are trying to limit the carbohydrate and fat content of the powder. Look for proteins with 2 grams or less of fat and 5 grams or less of carbohydrate per 20 grams of protein. There is evidence that having other macronutrients in the mix, specifically complex carbohydrates and fat, create a competitive digestive environment that slows the breakdown and absorption of the protein. The Optimum protein used in this example is good to go.

OK – now we know the nutritional value. What kind of protein are we buying? To find out, we need to move down to the ingredients list. Remember that ingredients are listed proportionally to their weight, with the greatest quantities by weight listed first and the least quantities listed last.  Here we have a blend made of whey isolate, concentrate, and peptides. So we have a middle priced protein, a cheap protein, and then an expensive protein. The labeling on the container claims “MOST WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATES EVER!” and “WITH FASTER-ACTING HYDROWHEY,” but doesn’t mention that it is also blending cheap concentrate with these more expensive proteins. For all we know we could have slightly more protein isolate than concentrate and just a smidge of peptides.

Rounding out the ingredients list is cocoa and artificial flavors for flavoring, lecithin for thickening, and Acesulfame Potassium as an artificial sweetener.

Now let’s take a look at another label.

Serving Size 1 Scoop (34g) Servings Per Container 28 Amount Per Serving % DV Calories 125.00 Calories from Fat 15.00 Total Fat 1.50 g 2% Saturated Fat 0.50 g 3% Trans Fat 0.00 g Cholesterol 20.00 mg 7% Sodium 75.00 mg 3% Total Carbohydrate 6.00 g 2% Dietary Fiber 1.00 g 4% Sugars 0.00 g Protein 21.00 g 42% Calcium 250.00 25% Iron 0.36 2% ** Daily Value (DV) not established † Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs: Calories: 2000 2500 Total Fat Less than 65 g 80 g Sat. Fat Less than 20 g 25 g Cholesterol Less than 300 mg 300 mg Sodium Less than 2400 mg 2400 mg Total Carbohydrate 300 g 375 g Dietary Fiber 25 g 30 g Calories per gram: Fat 9• Carbohydrate 4•Protein 4

Other Ingredients: Whey Protein Matrix (Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate, Whey Peptides), Milk Protein Matrix (Milk Protein, Containing Micelular Caseines & Caseinates, Calcium Caseinates), Cookie Pieces (Natural Flavors, Dextrose, Soya Lecithin, Salt, Sugar, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Sodium Bicarbonate, Chocolate Liquor (Processed with Alkai), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Enriched Flour (Folic Acid, Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin Mononitrate, Wheat Flour, Reduced Iron), Corn Flour, Vegetable Oil Shortening (Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oils)), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Soybean Oil, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose

Warning: This product contains ingredients derived from milk and soy.

Contains: Wheat

This is Dymatize® Nutrition Elite Gourmet Protein retailing for $28, so we are around the $1 per 20grams of protein again. The major difference to highlight is the ingredients list. This powder has mostly cheap concentrate, with some isolate, and some peptides. Next we have more cheap milk proteins including casein, which is a problem for some folks to digest. Then we have some cookie pieces that are primarily made of something called natural flavors, dextrose (a sugar), soya lecithin (as a thickener) and some other ingredients we actually recognize. Sodium bicarbonate is an acid neutralizer. Then we get into the makings of any processed junk food, high fructose corn syrup, wheat, corn, hydrogenated vegetable oils. Guar gum works as an emulsifier. Potassium chloride is what they use to put down stray dogs. There are also two artificial sweeteners: acesulfame Potassium and sucralose. In summary, for the same price as the Optimum protein, we have a cheaper protein with a lot more added crap.

Read the label and watch for a long ingredients list. If you have more than 10 items, you’re probably paying more money for junk ingredients. Watch for wheat, sugar, and corn, these are always no-nos. Also beware of propietary blends, which typically are patent-pending concoctions of stuff that may or may not include additional supplements such as a creatine, glutamine, arginine, or some kind enzymes. These blends are usually light on actual result enhancing doses, and heavy on marketing hype.

Taste is important too, no one likes drinking chalky, globby protein drinks each training day. Whey concentrates typically taste best in traditional ice cream flavors, such as vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Whey isolates can be very effectively flavored to taste like ice cream or even lighter fruit flavors. Hydrolysates are reported to be somewhat bitter straight, so it is rare to find a great tasting whey hydrolysate that is not blended with an isolate. Take note of the sweeteners out there and how they might affect you. Most powders advertise “no aspartame,” but note that most sweeteners are chemicals made in labs. Stevia is a popular sweetener derived from a leaf as opposed to a test tube. All sweeteners trigger some kind of an insulin response and no one really knows the long term effects of regular consumption.

Gonna stick with your current protein? Tell us why. Need a change. Tell us why.

Photo by Tom Cerecedes