Perhaps the most popular nutritional supplement EVER is whey protein. Heck, you can even buy some of the worst, cheapest whey protein around conveniently at your local Wal-Mart. Now that’s when you KNOW it’s popular.
But here’s the truth: Whey protein, even the “high quality” stuff that you’d pay an arm and a leg to obtain from your local Vitamin Shoppe or GNC, could very likely be stalling your fat loss progress and, even WORSE, causing you to GAIN weight.
And if that wasn’t enough, here are the absolute WORST times to consume whey protein:
1. During the day
2. In the evening
Scratching your head? Don’t: you understood it perfectly. Whey protein simply isn’t a great protein to consume at any time of day, and for specific reasons.
1. Whey Protein Absorption – A review on the rate of protein absorption published in 2006 in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism reported that whey protein isolate absorbs at a rate of about 8g/hour. This is in large part due to the fact that whey is not broken down into small enough peptides by our body’s natural enzymes in time to be absorbed.
Couple that with the fact that the window of opportunity for whey protein to be absorbed is 1.5 hours, your body at maximum will be able to absorb 12 grams of whey protein from a single serving.
Kind of makes those 40g whey protein shakes seem foolish, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because they are.
Simply put, whey protein passes through the system far too rapidly to be adequately absorbed, leaving the majority of your protein shake wasted…literally.
2. Insulin Release Associated With Whey – Which of the two items below cause a greater spike in insulin?
a) White Bread
b) Whey Protein
Well, as you can probably guess, if you chose the horrendous, high glycemic, void-of-all-nutrition white bread, you’d be 100%…WRONG.
That’s right, a 2012 study published in Nutrition & Metabolism identified that the specific amino acids in whey protein stimulate beta cells to secrete more insulin than a similar amount of carbohydrate from white bread.
In the presence of insulin, fat burning essentially stops.
This makes a whey-protein-only supplement a big-time no-no for evening use, especially pre-bedtime when avoiding spikes in insulin are paramount as metabolism is already slowing down in preparation for its normal, much slower sleep rhythm.
The truth is, whey protein simply isn’t an ideal protein to use at any other time other than immediately following exercise, and even then the amount you’re able to absorb on a per serving basis is extremely limited.
The Solution: A true time-released protein blend.
The fact is, whey is an extremely high quality protein with one of the highest biological values of any protein source, but it possesses two undeniable downsides in its very limited absorption rate and record-setting insulin response.
Still, you may be wondering if it’s possible to somehow get the positive benefits of whey without the downsides, and the answer is YES. The trick is to combine whey with other medium-speed and slow-digesting proteins such as milk protein and micellar casein, respectively.
This combination of proteins will significantly reduce the overall insulin response from the whey while ensuring optimal absorption of each protein due to its slower digestion and time-released nature.
But don’t be fooled – most time-released protein blends are a total FRAUD. Sure, it’s “sexy” to market a time-released “blend” of proteins, but the unfortunate truth is that most of these blends consist of 90% cheap, denatured whey and contain very little of the more expensive slow-digesting proteins that make a true time-released protein product work.
How do you know how much of each protein is contained in these so-called “blends”? Well, the ONLY real way to know is by the brand listing the exact amounts of each protein on their label, which hardly anyone does.
Except BioTrust Low Carb.
With BioTrust Low Carb we put together a true 25-25-25-25 blend of micellar casein, milk protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, and whey protein concentrate. Yes, it’s much more expensive to produce than a simple, low-absorbing, insulin-spiking whey protein powder, or a fraudulent “proprietary blend” of proteins that in reality is still 90% whey, but we feel we owe it to our customers to give them a product that delivers a true solution to the whey protein dilemma, even if it cuts into our profit margins.
After all, we created BioTrust for you, your body, and your results.
- It’s 100% All-Natural – no artificial colors, sweeteners, or flavors
- It’s naturally sweetened with stevia and a naturally sweet form of fiber called inulin
- It’s certified hormone-free, sourced from cows not treated with the potentially dangerous growth hormones rBGH and rBST
- It’s the very first, and currently the ONLY, protein product on the market to use a breakthrough new enzyme that has been shown to more than DOUBLE protein absorption
And it tastes awesome. See for yourself.
Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Really interesting post, I never knew the real effects of whey protein! I came across your blog recently and have been enjoying reading through it. Lots of really useful information and tips for fitness.
ReplyDeleteI don't suppose you would be interested in sharing this on Glipho? We are a new social blogging site with an active, creative community of bloggers, many of whom also blog about sports and fitness. I'm sure they would love to read and discuss your blog! If you like, come have a look at us at http://glipho.com and see what you think. you can even import all your old posts to Glipho without affecting your existing blog at all.
Thanks for your time and consideration, and keep up the great blog!
All the best,
Teo
Hmmm...... Nice Post Thanks for sharing information.
ReplyDeleteWith so many brands and types of whey protein on the market, you may wonder why anyone would choose and use a natural whey protein powder.
ReplyDelete