A detailed expert answer to the question: Which protein is better?

During the existence of sports science, there is a constant search for wonderful elixirs that will help an athlete win, set new records, achieve new heights... Recently, interest in such developments has been steadily growing. There is a whole industry in the world for the production of various sports nutrition products. Of course, protein is considered the most popular, both for beginners and professionals. The purpose of this article is to give you comprehensive information about this most useful product, so that after reading to the end, you can say: “Now I know everything about protein!”

As often happens, newcomers to sports buy their first protein shake without thinking at all about its compatibility with their occupation, and without really understanding: will it help in achieving their goal or not? In order to fill these gaps and open your eyes, we will consider the important points associated with this class of sports nutrition products, study the nuances of its use, and also figure out which protein is better and for what purposes.

1. Definition.
2. Product varieties:
3. Egg.
4. Whey.
5. Casein.
6. Products of plant origin.
7. Soy.
8. Pea.
9. Animal products.
10. Meat.
11. Fish.
12. Composition and rate of absorption.
13. Deciding on the choice...
14. Table of contents:

Definition.

Protein is a sports nutritional supplement based on protein mixtures. In fact, these are high-molecular nitrogen compounds that consist of amino acids. This is the main plastic building material from which body tissues are formed. Proteins have very high chemical activity and a complex structure; they also take part in all key life processes of the body.

In strength sports disciplines, it makes sense to use this substance to achieve such goals as:

1. stimulation of muscle growth,
2. reducing fat levels,
3. as well as to maintain good physical shape.

There is a lot of different information about this product on the Ru-Net, but it is not always well systematized, so it is difficult for a novice athlete to understand the key questions: which protein is best, how to use it correctly, and many others... We will give comprehensive answers to all these questions:

First, let's look at what types of protein there are by origin...

Product varieties:

Egg.

Egg is, according to many, a perfect product, and all because it contains all the amino acids necessary for the human body. It is worth noting that some athletes, due to ignorance, ignored the intake of yolk, mainly giving priority only to the protein. This is not entirely correct, because in addition to fats, the yolk also contains a sufficient amount of protein (2.8 grams), and only 4.5 grams of fat, and more than 70% of the fats from the yolk are completely harmless! So don't skip the egg yolk completely.

Not every company produces egg albumin in its pure form, but in any case it is included in small quantities in many sports products.

Now regarding the pros and cons: there is only one minus - a fairly high price. But there are many more advantages, so if you have a considerable amount of money at your disposal, take this type of protein. A very balanced composition of amino acids with almost zero fat is a great advantage of this type of protein. An interesting fact, having carried out some arithmetic calculations regarding the prices of ready-made cocktails, we can say that by consuming chicken eggs (hard-boiled) you can save a lot while getting the same result. If you don’t have time to prepare, then you can always use ready-to-eat protein from a jar.

Whey - considered the best for burning fat and muscle growth, it is also called fast due to the high rate of absorption of the product from the gastrointestinal tract. In fact, it is a mixture of so-called globular proteins synthesized from whey. It should be understood as a liquid composition during curdling. This type of sports supplement consists of proteins that are formed during the production of cheese, primarily from cow's milk, consisting of 20% whey and 80% casein.

This type of protein is produced in three forms:

Concentrate is the most affordable and common form of whey protein. The composition includes about 20% fats, carbohydrates, cholesterol, and 80% is whey protein. A 30-gram serving contains protein (24 g), carbohydrates (3 g), fat (2 g), in milligrams: cholesterol, potassium, sodium, calcium, vitamin A.

Isolate is a very pure product containing 95% protein obtained by prolonged filtration. More people can afford to purchase this form of the substance than, for example, hydrolyzate. The perfect advantage of this protein is that it perfectly compensates for amino acid deficiency before and after physical activity.

Many manufacturers, in an effort to earn more money, reduce its quality by diluting three types of protein in one product, and there is always more concentrate than the more expensive isolate and hydrolyzate.

The use of this type of substance provides good recovery, means increasing anabolism and suppressing catabolism. The advantages also include the low degree of allergenicity of this protein; it is also well suited for people who are lactose intolerant. Many believe that for the same amount of money you can achieve a much greater effect if you combine the intake of concentrate with BCAAs, rather than spending money on isolate.

There is also a microfiltered undenatured isolate on the sports nutrition market, which contains about 90% protein, while it has the ability to increase immunity, is better absorbed and has an antioxidant effect.

Hydrolyzate, the most expensive type of whey protein, is a partially degraded protein that consists of two/three amino acids linked together. Since this protein is already almost broken down, its absorption occurs immediately after entering the athlete’s body. This is a very well purified substance that contains almost no fat and has excellent tolerability and is also very expensive due to the complex production procedure. Hydrolyzate differs from other types of protein in its bitter taste.

Let's consider the advantages of this expensive type of substance:

1. firstly, it is the highest rate of absorption, rapid recovery, replenishment of glycogen reserves,
2. and secondly, a high ability to stimulate insulin secretion and better tolerance by athletes.

Among the disadvantages, the main thing that immediately catches your eye is the high cost of the drug (2-3 times more expensive than the concentrate), and the not very pleasant aftertaste. Indeed, hydrolyzate is better than isolate and concentrate, but according to research, this advantage does not exceed 10% of the above.

Therefore, think about whether it is worth paying 2-3 times more just because of these interests? In our opinion, this type of protein should be purchased solely to replace amino acids and suppress catabolism during “relief” work.

Casein is the result of technological enzymatic curdling of milk. This type of protein, entering the stomach, has the ability to slowly break down, thus providing the body with amino acids. But at the same time, it slows down the digestibility of other types of protein, has much lower biological value, has an anabolic effect, and can suppress appetite.

In addition to the classic calcium caseinate, micellar casein is gaining popularity due to its better qualities, but it is more expensive.

Casein is not so preferable when gaining, so purchase it only if you have a sufficient amount of whey, take it exclusively at night, this will significantly reduce catabolism and preserve muscles from the effects of cortisol. To gain weight, you should take about 40 grams of the substance, while losing weight up to 20, also, if you cannot eat for a long time, taking 45 grams of casein will prevent catabolism.

When burning fat, casein protein should be consumed to eliminate hunger. Drink a cocktail with this sports supplement on average 3 times a day: in the morning, before bed and in the middle of the day. Casein protein is indispensable for people who are allergic to whey and other types of protein discussed above.

Products of plant origin.

Plant proteins are not always complete, so you should combine them, for example: legumes with grains. It has been proven that soy and pea proteins are rich in essential amino acids and are almost as valuable as whey and egg proteins. In iron sports, isolates of these proteins are most often used, because the main thing is digestibility.

Soy.

Consider soy protein. It is rich in amino acids, thanks to the intake of this substance, cholesterol levels are reduced, which is good for people who want to lose weight; the protein also contains various vitamins and minerals.

This type of product is usually preferred by newfangled vegan bodybuilders, read more about which here. For women, taking this protein is useful in that it protects them from osteoporosis, and the risk of breast cancer becomes much lower.

But this protein is not without sin, because it contains trypsin - an inhibitor of the digestive enzyme, the amount of it in the finished product depends on the characteristics of the technological process of processing beans.

You've probably heard that soy protein is not recommended for men due to the richness of soy in phytoestrogens - this is not entirely true. Recent scientific studies have clearly shown that they bind to the same receptors as estrogens, but their effect is very weak.

Pea.

Pea protein - most often presented in products as an isolate with a protein content of up to 90% and a high degree of digestibility. It contains a lot of amino acids, both essential and non-essential, in particular it is very rich in arginine (helps release growth hormone), lysine, glutamine.

Due to the lower amount of phytoestrogens, pea protein can be freely taken by men without fear of reducing testosterone levels. This protein is an allergen-free source and is also great because it is great for people intolerant to milk, gluten, soy, and so on.

Animal products.

On the way to determining which protein is better, let's look at two more little-known types of protein:

Meat.

Meat protein - this product, made from beef protein, has only recently entered the sports nutrition market, but has already gained some popularity. Not least because of the richness of protein in it (up to 85%), the amount of essential amino acids (35%), high level of digestibility and almost zero percentage of fat. This is a very good source of high-quality protein, comparable to whey isolate, not only in bioavailability, but also in amino acid composition, as well as the rate of absorption by the body.

There is also fish protein - as a result of research, it was recognized that this type breaks down very slowly and much longer than casein. Since this type is the newest, there is very little information on it.

Composition and rate of absorption.

We looked at the types of proteins by origin, we invite you to find out how they are classified according to composition and absorption rate:

1. Complex is a “mix” of different types of protein to provide the maximum amount of necessary amino acids in short lines. It also contains types of protein for long-lasting muscle nutrition.
2. Slow is primarily casein, soy and other vegetable proteins.
3. Fast – whey proteins we have already considered, such as concentrate, isolate, hydrolysate.

Deciding on the choice...

Which protein is best? — it’s up to you to choose! But keep in mind: this must be done impartially, with a clear mind and depending on the desired goals. Today's sports nutrition market is replete with different manufacturers, and stores with colorful jars, so when answering the question of which protein is better, pay attention to the manufacturer, read reviews, find out how long it has been on the market, and so on. Do not be deceived, because there are many dishonest dealers who will sell you a cheaper substance at the price of the most expensive one.

How to check a purchased product?

How to check the quality of the purchased supplement? How can you be sure it's not some low-grade fake? If you bought protein in a store, be sure to check it for authenticity, to do this, boil water, pour it into a glass and add a spoonful of this additive, a denaturation process should be observed with the formation of a precipitate (the protein will clump together), if this does not happen, your protein is - fake.

We strongly advise you to refrain from purchasing the product:

1. unknown, ato and fictitious brands,
2. from the hands of unverified persons,
3. in dubious one-day places,
4. in bulk - you never know what they’ll throw at you...
5. with damaged or opened packaging.

By the way, here read an interesting story about the negative experience of such acquisitions - very informative and instructive!

We recommend to you only online sports nutrition stores that have been tested over the years and have proven themselves. Don’t forget: the stingy one will pay double! Moreover, if the purchase is unsuccessful, you can also pay with your health! Do you need it?

Remember that using only high-quality substances will help you achieve the desired result, which is what we, our entire editorial team, sincerely wish for you!

Table of contents:

1. Start
2. Definition.
3. Varieties.
4. Egg.
5. Whey.
   1. 1. Concentrate.
      2. Isolate.
      3. Hydrolyzate.
6. Casein.
7. Products of plant origin.
   1. 1. Soy.
      2. Pea.
8. Animal products.
   1. 1. Meat.
      2. Fish.
9. Composition and rate of absorption.
10. What to choose?
11. How to check?
12. About fakes.