Whey hydrolysate is a third type of whey protein that is rarer to find in a day to day protein powder than isolate or concentrate.   From a specifically scientific definition, whey protein hydrolysate is a partially digested; as in the basic molecules in whey protein are broken down into its baser parts, essentially doing part of the work of regular digestion for you.

Generally whey protein hydrolysate is significantly more expensive to purchase compared to concentrate or isolate, however whey hydrolysate, due to its processed nature, also contains less lactose.  Also for anyone who has stomach issues, the body has a far easier time digesting hydrolysate than it does other forms of whey protein powder.

One of whey protein hydrolysate main uses is in baby milk for babies that are born severely lactose intolerant and unable to use regular high fat and protein milk sources.  Also due to its sterile nature after processing, it is often used as a high protein supplement for patients after digestive surgery to restore a proper PH balance in the digestive tract.  Continue reading →

You may want to read back to our original post on whey protein concentrate, and then check out our post on whey protein types, which contains information on all three whey protein types: concentrate, isolate and hydrosylate.

Whey Protein Concentrate vs Isolate:

As noted in the above articles, concentrate and isolate have a few key differences and i’ll outline the key pros and cons of each:

Whey Protein Concentrate:

Pros:

• Cheaper than isolate
• Contains carbohydrates, great for energy for a morning shake or longer endurance workout
• Slower release into blood stream so better at appetite suppression for those looking to take advantage of the natural weight loss and fat burning benefits of whey protein powder
• Less processed so generally higher levels of antioxidants and essential amino acids available

Cons:

• Higher caloric content
• Lower protein by weight, ie. contains more carbohydrates and fat
• Much higher levels of lactose

What is the best protein?

A lot of people ask me this question.  I get it emailed to me, left in comments, and dropped into conversations.  Its generally asked by people who are unsure what type and how much protein to take.   After all there is a lot of information out there that is incorrect, and its tough to know what the best supplement for you is.   There are a ton of products that while being helpful to some, could be the totally wrong choice for your health or fitness goals.  Luckily for you, this site is here to help. Some of the major questions you may have:

• Isolate, Hydrosylsate or Concentrate?
• Best Protein Powder for Muscle Building?
• Best Protein for Weight Loss?
• Whey or Soy?

In a future article i’ll delve into each of these more, but for now i can provide a general overview over the best protein to take.

To the first question whey or soy, bluntly, the answer is whey.  Despite sharing some benefits, and soy providing essential amino acids like whey, soy protein has shown itself to have some side effects that one should be wary of (like increases in levels of estrogen linked to soy intake).  I’m not saying one will develop breasts simply from taking soy protein, but ideally whey protein is a better choice.

Secondly, with whey you have 3 types of protein, Isolate, Hydrolysate and Concentrate. Which type is the best?  Interestingly enough, all three.  Ideally a whey protein powder that contains all 3 forms of whey protein powder is the best. The reason?  Each type is digested and used by the body at a different rate, meaning that absorption lasts longer, and that the benefits of the whey protein powder last longer, and peak at the ideal time.

For muscle growth, one can’t get much better than Optimum Nutrition’s Pure Whey powder.  It tastes great, and contains all three types of whey protein powder.  On top of that it contains almost 0 additives, tastes great, and includes a special formula created by Optimum Nutrition to delay the absorption rate of the essential amino acids present in whey to provide the greatest benefits before, during and after a workout.

Optimum Nutrition Whey can be found at Amazon here: Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard, Double Rich Chocolate, 5 Pound

For weight loss, the question becomes a bit more tricky and is one we will leave to a future post.  The reason for that is that with weight loss you are looking for a few things that are outside the realm of normal whey protein supplementation.  For one, Isolate is the protein type of choice, as it contains the highest protein by weight, meaning the lowest amount of fat and carbohydrates present.  Secondly it will ideally use a natural sweetener such as Stevia instead of sugar to keep the caloric density low.  Lastly you would want a slow release formula to take full advantage of the natural appetite suppressing ability that whey protein powder offers on its own.

A lot of the questions i touched on above are explored in other posts on this site, but I’ll leave you to discover them for yourself.  Whey protein powder is a fantastic daily supplement that offers numerous health benefits beyond simple muscle building and weight loss.