There are countless possibilities and every miracle cure should make you even more beautiful, slimmer and fitter than the others. But one supplement category has enjoyed great popularity for decades: protein powders help to achieve the dream body.
There are countless types of protein powders and there are more and more – but three classics in particular have prevailed and dominate the dietary supplement market: Today we want to take a closer look at the advantages of whey, casein and soy protein and when they are most suitable .
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Do I even need protein powder?
We get asked this question over and over again and our answer is always the same: It depends.
Anyone who eats a balanced diet rich in protein will cover their daily protein requirements without the need for appropriate food supplements. However, protein powders offer the opportunity to provide the body with proteins quickly and easily and also to replace a meal once in a while.
That’s why protein shakes are a great way for athletes to add more protein to a healthy diet, but not only – and to satisfy cravings for sweets at the same time, because there is now a huge selection of different flavors.
First of all, the term “whey” means nothing other than whey – because that is the translation of the English term. Whey is a by-product that remains in cheese production and initially a liquid that, with a protein content of around one percent, has little to do with the powder that ends up in the bags of the supplement manufacturers.
From whey to powder
The simplest form of whey protein is therefore first produced from the whey by ultrafiltration and the removal of water: the concentrate with a protein content of between 70 and 80 percent.
In order to achieve even greater purity and to make the products compatible for people with lactose intolerance, for example, manufacturers use even finer filtration or chemical processes in some cases to increase the protein content to over 90 percent – they are correspondingly expensive However, you also have to pay for it, so that the cheaper whey concentrate in particular is very popular.
Whey is not only known and popular with athletes as a cheap source of protein, but also as a way of supplying the body with protein particularly quickly – because it only takes about half an hour for the protein to be absorbed by the body.
That’s why whey is particularly popular after training, when the body needs protein to stop muscle-degrading (catabolic) processes in the body and start regeneration. Taken before training, a whey shake also ensures that the muscles do not have to serve as fuel during sport.
A good whey protein is therefore a useful support, especially when losing weight : In this way, the body can be supplied with the important nutrients for muscle maintenance without supplying too much energy – and this ultimately ensures ideal fat burning.
If you combine your whey shake with fast carbohydrates, for example some fruit, after training, you ensure optimal absorption and maximize your training success.
The increase in blood sugar levels caused by the fast carbohydrates is responsible for this: In response, the body releases insulin and the muscle cells “open their gates” – the body’s glycogen stores, which are responsible for the energy supply, fill up and the proteins absorbed are used by the body used for regeneration.
In this context, the whey protein shows two other strengths: The high proportion of essential amino acids (BCAA) and the high biological value (the higher, the better a protein is processed by the body.) ensure that the body gets the right nutrients particularly quickly be available.
Fast protein
While the whey protein in cow’s milk makes up only about 0.6%, the other 2.7 percent of the total 3.3 percent is made up of the so-called “milk protein”, also known as casein.
Casein is also obtained through microfiltration, but the raw material for this is not produced as a by-product, but the milk is used specifically to obtain the casein. There are a number of different types of casein – particularly useful for a healthy diet and therefore the subject of this paragraph is micellar casein, which most manufacturers now use for their products.
Slow absorption as a special feature
The property that distinguishes casein from whey is its particularly slow absorption – since casein turns into a kind of gel in connection with stomach acid, it is digested more slowly and thus repeatedly releases small amounts of protein over a period of up to 8 hours.
For this very reason, casein is also recommended for the time before bed, to supply the body with protein overnight and thus prevent muscle breakdown – this is also particularly important in a diet, since the weight lost naturally increases should be composed of a large proportion of body fat and not muscle mass.
Not only the slow absorption makes casein well suited for a diet – there are also studies that suggest a positive effect when losing weight . This assumption is based on a study from 2000 in which the subjects were divided into three groups.
One group was given whey as a supplement, the second casein, and the third ate the same number of calories without supplements — in the end, the subjects taking casein lost the most fat while gaining muscle mass.
Soy protein – the vegan alternative
Proteins made from milk are of course out of the question for vegans – the most popular alternative is soy protein, which is made from soy flour. Soybeans have long been known to vegans and vegetarians as a source of protein, and soy protein is now also a popular source as protein powder.
As an alternative to whey, it is also a good choice for anyone with a pronounced lactose intolerance, because it has an extremely high-quality amino acid profile and thus provides the body with exactly the nutrients it needs after exercise or in the morning.
Fast protein as an alternative to whey
Whey is best known for its fast absorption rate – soy protein is only absorbed slightly more slowly by the body and is therefore just as suitable for post-workout nutrition.
In principle, soy protein is a full-fledged alternative to whey protein, which is particularly suitable for vegans. However, there are three areas where the vegan alternative lags behind whey protein.
Methionine is an essential amino acid that the body cannot produce itself and must therefore be obtained from the diet – however, the amino acid profile of soy protein has a gap here. To compensate for this deficiency, however, adding some whey or a methionine-rich diet (see infographic) helps.
When it comes to biological value, whey is also ahead by a nose – but soy protein is still ahead of all other plant-based proteins. Also interesting: A study from 2003 showed that protein synthesis is stimulated almost as much by soy protein as by whey, so that the vegan protein is also well suited for muscle building.
The best of all worlds – multi-component proteins
The best of all worlds – multi-component proteins
At this point at the latest it should be clear that each protein has its own advantages – the manufacturers have also recognized this and offer so-called multi-component proteins in which the different types of protein powders are mixed and their positive properties are combined in this way.
A good multi-component protein consists largely of casein and whey, often it also contains soy protein and egg albumin (protein powder from chicken eggs) – this combination ensures that the body is not only supplied with important amino acids immediately, but also over a long period of time .
This makes multi-component proteins ideal for replacing a meal in a diet, for example.
The right protein at the right time brings optimal results
Whether it’s to shed a few extra pounds or to build muscle and tone the body, protein powders are a great way to provide the body with the right nutrients in a low-calorie manner.
Which protein is the right one depends above all on the time of intake: Whey and soy protein are particularly suitable when the body needs to be supplied quickly – for example after training or in the morning after getting up. Casein, on the other hand, is particularly suitable for the time before bed, as it supplies the body over a long period of time.
In the end, however, protein powders are of course a dietary supplement and do not replace a balanced diet – but when used skilfully, the supplements support everyone on the way to the desired figure.
