Protein powders are the most popular supplements today. In fact, our best protein powders list has generated massive amounts of traffic in the past year, mostly due to people searching for protein powder solutions that really work. Yes, there are protein powder manufacturers out there who don’t have your best interest at hand, so being careful in terms of who and where you buy from is essential if you want to avoid being scammed.
Protein powders help people who are looking to build muscle provide their bodies with essential protein. The more muscle you tear up during intense workouts, the more you need to replace. Sometimes, just eating chicken breast isn’t going to cut it. If you work out with high-intensity and then don’t supplement with a protein powder, you might end up losing muscle. Being someone who works out hard, it is unlikely you feel OK with losing potential gains as that’s rather counterproductive.
Protein powders promote what’s known as lean mass. Lean mass is muscle and muscle is also essential for those people looking to lose weight. The production of muscle helps to stimulate the burning of fat.
The most popular protein powder out there is whey protein. There are a number of different whey protein versions, however, from a universal perspective, whey is what’s most commonly found in protein powders and even protein bars.
Whey Protein Powder Info
Whey protein is made up of immunoglobins, bovine serum albumin, beta-lactoglobulin, alpha lactalbumin. Whey protein is decently researched and widely used. Its considered to be effective, but the version of the protein makes a big difference.
There are three core types of whey protein:
- Hydrolysate
- Concentrate
- Isolate
Concentrate is the filler, junk whey protein. It is often used for the purpose of bloating serving sizes for marketing reasons. Many protein powder supplements don’t list the amounts of ingredients, so you can’t always know how much concentrate is occupying your inflated serving sizes. This is probably the biggest way that protein powder manufacturers take advantage of consumers. Many consumers have no idea that whey protein concentrate isn’t that good and many don’t care to read the labels. A lot of consumers rely on celebrity fitness endorsements and don’t research beyond that.
Concentrate means it is unlikely the full amount is actual protein, hence, “concentrate” being the name. The concentrate could be a mere 30% of real protein. It could be 80% or more. Its hard to know. Labeling on protein powder supplements isn’t exactly supportive in this area, probably for obvious reasons.
Hydrolysate is the absolute best form of whey protein, make no mistake about it. This is the cleanest, most effective version of protein. While Isolate is good, its not nearly as great as hydrolysate. But here’s the rub, only one protein powder manufacturer, Hydro Whey 100, uses only hydrolysate. All the other companies use it, but they also use concentrate and isolate in their mix. Many don’t provide ingredient amounts, so it makes it impossible to know how much hydrolysate is present. Of course, Hydro Whey 100 is a bit pricier because they realize that wise consumers realize the predicament, but it is what it is.
Does this necessarily mean that Hydro Whey 100 has more hydrolysate than other top protein powders? No, it is possible that any of the manufacturers on our top protein powder list have more hydrolysate present even though they mix their servings with concentrate. Is that likely? Not really.
That’s exactly what I’m saying and pretty much in the same context as Carey said it in Dumb and Dumber. There’s a chance that some protein powders have more hydrolysate present than Hydro Whey 100, but it’s a remote chance.
TLDR: The marketing of protein powder serving sizes as a lump “contains X protein” is the most common protein powder scam. It commonly leaves out the fact that most of its protein is actually just protein concentrate.
Protein Powder Benefits
There are lots of protein powder benefits that are beyond just assisting fitness enthusiast and serious athletes in muscle gains.
Helps fuel weight loss
According to a study in Nutrition and Metabolism, almost 160 people lost a lot more weight and maintained their lean muscle by supplementing with whey protein. Some of this probably has to do with the fact that the presence of muscle. It could also be that the protein powder supplement encouraged a feeling of satiety, causing less appetite. Either way, this is a notable protein powder benefit that’s off the beaten track.
Lowers Cholesterol
A study in 2010 showed that whey protein supplementation resulted in improvements to “fasting lipids and insulin levels in overweight and obese individuals.” High cholesterol is obviously a huge issue for many Americans and many people who have lived in regions exposed to modern diet standards.
Lowers Blood Pressure
The International Dairy Journal researched the connection between blood pressure and protein supplementation and found that whey protein dramatically helped to lower blood pressure.
Protein Powder Side Effects
I sometimes don’t like listing side effects on articles because I often think the thought of any side effect can scare people away who could otherwise be helped. The fact is, almost anything we put into our bodies, no matter how healthy, can come with a side effect potential. That’s just life. If a certain side effect concerns you, it is best to simply check with your doctor over the matter. That’s a good idea before you take any supplement or make any large dietary changes, anyways.
- Pain in the stomach, cramps
- A loss of appetite
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Nausea
While not common, any of the above five protein powder side effects can most certainly ruin a day. If you are currently taking a protein powder supplement and experience any of the above, you should stop using the supplement and call your doctor.
Protein Powder Benefits – Conclusion
Protein powder benefits are certainly not just for elite athletes, they can be used for people who are aging and want to help maintain muscle. They can be used for people with high blood pressure or high cholesterol. They can be used in conjunction with a healthy diet with the goal of losing weight. But reading labels on protein supplements matters a lot. If you don’t understand how protein powder companies may manipulate serving sizes, that’s essential consumer information and can help save you from ending up getting scammed. I recommend Hydro Whey 100, its the cleanest version of protein powder, but it does cost more.
