Many people consume whey protein in the hopes that it is going to help them. And rightfully so, as whey protein is one of the highest quality proteins you can buy and use. In addition it contains over 30% BCAA’s. BCAA’s are the building blocks of muscle mass. Whey protein is classified as a whole food protein. Meaning if you drank milk, you’re drinking whey protein. Nothing wrong with this, as whey protein is a high quality protein, however using whey protein hydrolysate can be even more beneficial for growing muscle mass. In this article, I am going to give you reasons why whey protein hydrolysate should be used in your supplement stack.
1. Whey Protein Hydrolysate is Insulinotrophic
Whey protein hydrolysates are insulinotropic. Consuming whey protein hydrolysates with easy digesting carbs immediately after training and weight lifting will maximize the recovery benefits by creating a high level of insulin in your blood plasma levels. Insulin is an anabolic hormone and is valuable at helping the body grow lean muscle. It is on the same level of anabolic steroids for muscle building. In conclusion you want to combine a high quality whey protein hydrolysate with a high quality carb post workout.
2. More BCAA’s in the blood stream.
Studies have show that more amino acids occur in the blood stream faster with whey protein hydrolysate vs whey protein.
3. Whey Protein Hydrolysates Get There First!
Timing is crucial for muscle building and recovery. You want to get carbohydrates and amino acids into the blood stream as quickly as possible. Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation at the speed at which amino acids enter the blood stream and muscle growth. The faster you can make this happen, the better your chances are for muscle growth. Whey protein hydrolysates digest faster than whey protein isolates or concentrates. They are digested faster because they are pre-digested into peptides. Therefore whey protein hydrolysates get there first. Consider them the Marines of the protein world and regular whey protein as the Army. It makes sense to drink a hydrolyzed whey protein immediately post training vs a whey protein isolate or whey protein concentrate.
4. Muscle Sore? Use Hydrolyzed Protein
Using hydrolyzed proteins such as Peptopro, which is a hydrolyzed casein, can help reduce muscle soreness. Peptopro has an extreme low molecular weight, which makes it one of the best hydrolyzed proteins for sports nutrition on the market.
How To Purchase Hydrolyzed Proteins
In the world of sports nutrition, buying a hydrolyzed protein is easier said than done. The problem with hydrolyzed proteins, whether is a hydrolyzed whey, casein, salmon, wheat, egg, or silk worm, they taste pretty bad. The smaller the peptides the more bitter the taste. I consider hydrolyzed protein powders undrinkable. The taste is so bad that you cannot drink them. If you search for hydrolyzed protein on the internet you’ll find many that ARE drinkable. However most likely these are low quality. The problem with hydrolyzed protein is that you can “hydrolyze” a protein to be only slightly hydrolyzed. Meaning if you took a whey protein isolate you can hydrolye it only 5% and still call it a hydrolyzed whey isolate. In addition the company hydrolyzing the whey protein can only slightly hydrolyze it to a high molecular weight so the powder does not taste bitter. This is how companies fool you into thinking you’re getting a high quality hydrolyzed protein but mean while you’re practically getting a regular whey protein.
Therefore it is extremely important to know the molecular weight average when buying a hydrolyzed protein. It is similar to gasoline for your car. Would you buy gasoline for your car not knowing it if was regular octane or super? No you wouldnt. Therefore it is the same with hydrolyzed proteins. You need to know the molecular weight averages. Here are some molecular weight averages a high quality hydrolyzed proteins.
The Top Lowest Molecular Weight Averages of Commercially Available Hydrolyzed Proteins.
- Hydrolyzed Silk Worm Protein -150 daltons (available soon)
- Peptopro (hydrolyzed casein) -250 daltons
- Hydrolyzed 520 (hydrolyzed whey) – 520 daltons
- Salmobolic 98 -600 daltons
- Advanced BCAA (hydrolyzed whey isolate) 1500 daltons
As far as I know, no other protein company discloses the molecular weight of their hydrolyzed protein. I searched Google and did not find one single company selling a hydrolyzed protein that fully disclosed the molecular weight average. Very pathetic! If you do happen to buy a hydrolyzed protein powder not from my company and it does NOT taste bitter, you’ve been scammed.
In conclusion, a good case for the use of hydrolyzed protein has been made. Remember that building muscle requires protein. I’m a big believer in the higher the quality of protein, the more anabolic it is. Therefore strive to consume high quality proteins from foods like egg, milk, and beef. If you want to use a protein powder, try to at least use some hydrolyzed proteins in your diet.
Alex Rogers is a supplement manufacturing expert. He has been formulating, consulting, & manufacturing dietary supplements since 1998. Alex invented protein customization in 1998 & was the first company to allow consumers to create their own protein blends. He helped create the first supplement to contain natural follistatin, invented whey protein with egg lecithin, & recently imported the world’s first 100% hydrolyzed whey.
