Whey Protein is required for the gymgoers in muscle building – common knowledge. But what you might not be knowing about whey is that it comes in different and varied forms.
Digestibility, amino acid content, ease of mixing along with taste, whey has some of the most unique offerings for everyone out there; and probably that’s the reason why many consider it to be the supremo of all the supplements.
Knowing which whey is good for you can go a long way in meeting your requirements aptly. The primary types of whey protein are whey concentrate, whey isolate and whey hydrolysed. Before going into which one would be beneficial for who, let’s first make our understanding of the types clear.
Whey Protein Concentrate
Whey protein concentrate is a light cream-colored product with a bland, clean flavour. One of the most basic, efficient and economical forms of whey protein, concentrated whey is widely used as a common bodybuilding supplement to increase the intake of dietary proteins for enhancing muscle hypertrophy.
Whey concentrates are characterized by low levels of fat and cholesterol, with higher number of bioactive compounds and carbs in the form of lactose – obtained by eliminating non-protein constituents from the original whey so that the remaining product does not house less than 20 – 25% of protein. Based on this protein content, different versions of whey protein concentrate are also available in the market; and all of these offer not only different nutritional qualities but also carry different functionalities.
Concentrates average around 80% in purity and because they are relatively unprocessed, most of their vital sub-fractions remain intact. Designed to build, repair and strengthen muscle, anyone regular with his or her exercise regime can benefit greatly from the supplementation of whey protein concentrates.
The most notable benefit with this is its pricing. Because of it being economical, you end up paying a much lower cost per gram per serve as compared to its compatriots for something which does a respectable job in meeting your requirements.
One thing that needs to be kept in mind while going for whey concentrates is that this contains higher amount of lactose and so if you’re lactose-intolerant, you’d be better off whey concentrate and can instead go for other types of whey supplements.
It is normally considered a good starting supplement for the beginners and can be used as both pre-and-post workout diet. For the ones who’re new to supplements and want to just try something first, before making it habitual and without putting a dent in their wallets, our MFF Whey protein 80 could be their best bet. It also forms the main part of the muscle strengthening and toning products for women and can also be quite feasibly integrated into one’s everyday diets, be it as a shake or mixed with juice.
Whey Protein Isolate
While whey concentrates house around 80% of protein, it’s edged by whey isolate which contains somewhere around 90% protein and can be pure enough to be adjudged to be virtually free from lactose, carbs, fat and cholesterol; not just in comparison to whey concentrate, but most other proteins available in the market.
Isolates have a superior biological value and provides larger amount of useable branched chain and other useful amino acids. They’re made up of short chain peptides which means that they can get easily absorbed in your body, taking as little as 15 minutes to feed your muscles. Due to this quality, it’s the perfect post-workout supplement which can help in the immediate refuelling of muscle with those vital nutrients.
Apart from this, it is an ideal supplement for the lactose intolerant people, courtesy of its lower lactose content. Such type of people can go for the whey isolate without any fears of bloating up as a result of the dairy products. It is essential to consume protein daily as the body does not store it; hence, our MFF Whey Protein 90 Isolate could be your go-to protein supplement to suffice this need of your body without any harm, in case dairy products is not your thing.
Moreover, isolates are more important for the athletes and bodybuilders specifically, as compared to whey concentrate. Since they work out very often, maintaining the protein levels of their body becomes a cumbersome as well as an utterly importance task at the same time. Studies have also suggested that isolated whey offers greater rates of muscle protein synthesis in healthy elderly men.
It’s also helpful for those looking to shed some extra body fat. A good intake of protein is helpful in balancing the blood sugar levels unlike carbs which cause the fluctuating in it. It so happens that if the blood sugar levels stay balanced, you won’t be prone to frequent eating and will have more energy stored in your body along with greater fat loss.
Related Article: Know the Benefits of Whey Protein Isolate
Whey Protein Hydrolysed
As with all the other whey protein types that have been discussed until now, the difference in the manufacturing process of whey isolate vs hydrolysed whey is that it undergoes additional processing or say, is partially digested to further break the protein content into smaller fragments, which then becomes easy to digest.
Partially digested or pre-digested refers to the fact that the release of aminos will occur at a faster rate and the process of digestion will also be quicker. The idea behind the availability of the hydrolysed version is to enhance the bi-availability of the protein, in turn enhancing the muscle protein synthesis.
Even after all of its usefulness, it’s better to decide on the protein supplement type based on your bodily needs. If you need something which can be readily absorbed and then used by the body, then whey hydrolysed is what you should be looking for. This is the same reason why it’s often adjudged as one of the best post-workout drinks.
One disadvantage associated with whey hydrolysed is that it’s rather expensive as compared to both of its compatriots. This is the same reason why there’s not a lot of talks about the hydrolysed form of whey protein in the market and why people often prefer to go for the isolate version of whey.
Similar Article: What is Hydrolysed Whey Protein, Benefits and Side Effects
Concentrate vs Isolate vs Hydrolysate
The question now comes is which one you should go for?
| Parameters/Types | Concentrate | Isolate | Hydrolysate |
| Form | Basic | Semi-treated | Completely treated |
| Production | Directly from the processed whey | Directly from the processed whey | By hydrolysis of whey isolate |
| Protein Content | 80% | 90% | More than 90% |
| Bioavailability | High | Very high | Highest |
| Fat | Quite low | Negligible | Zero |
| Cholesterol | Quite low | Negligible | Zero |
| Carbs | Quite low | Negligible | Zero |
| Lactose | High | Negligible | Zero |
| When to take | Both pre-and-post workout | Post workout | Post workout |
| Price | low | High | Very high |
Well to tell you first, the answer is not straightforward. As with any other supplement, the bottom line in case of whey protein variants also, is that even here the choice will depend on your bodily requirements, your personal nutritional goals and your motives for working out. Having said that, there indeed are certain factors which might help you in deciding the best variant for yourself.
- The very first clear and only preference, in case you’re a lactose-intolerant person, will be to go for whey protein isolate or hydrolysed powder. These two does not contain lactose content and hence will be suitable for such type of people.
- The second distinction could be made on the basis of pricing, which is pretty much straightforward. The least pricey of the three is whey concentrate, followed by whey isolate and then the costliest whey hydrolysed.
- When it comes to protein content, again hydrolysed protein trumps both concentrate and isolate. As already discussed above, the protein content in the case of whey concentrate is 80% which is the least of the three. But on comparing hydrolysate vs isolate, the latter’s protein content revolves somewhere around 90% while in the former’s case, it can go to as high as 95%.
- Coming to digestion capabilities now, concentrate hugely underscores in comparison to both its peers. But when it comes to whey isolate vs hydrolysed whey, the latter is only slightly superior to the former.
- One important point for considering the apt one for you could stem from the fact that whey hydrolysed is processed with warm temperatures and mild acids to break those amino acids in order to facilitate the ease of digestion talked above. This process makes it slightly denatured – loss in the effectiveness of the amino acid profile in small amount because of its depletion. On the other hand, to ensure the intactness of the amino profile in the other two variants, these are made to undergo very low temperatures and hence the goodness doesn’t get lost.
All in all, whey protein isolate is normally considered the best choice for almost everyone, given the fact that it does not stoops too low when compared to the advantages of the hydrolysed version and also is more economical. The difference in benefits from an isolate will not be very considerable, if not equal, in comparison to the hydrolysed one. In the end, it all depends on your preferences.
