Choosing The Best Protein Powder For You

Being in the market for protein powder can truly be a hassle for people, especially in Malaysia where you have a ton of choices to pick from. Protein powder is essential for people looking to gain muscle mass through their workouts. There are many brands of protein powder in Malaysia which people tend to normally choose from. But, are they actually aware of what suits them the best?

Protein powders are most certainly very popular among health conscious people. There are so many different types of protein powder made from a wide variety of unique sources. With so many options being out there, it is natural for a person to find themselves stuck in a situation trying to decide which one is the best for them, it can also become difficult for someone to determine which one of these protein powders will provide the optimal results for their body.



WHAT ARE PROTEIN POWDERS?
Protein powders are a concentrated source of protein from animal or plant foods, such as dairy, eggs, rice or even peas. The common form of proteins includes protein concentrates which is produced by extracting the protein from whole food using heat and acid or even enzymes. These typically supply 60 to 80% protein, with the remaining 20 to 40% composed of fat and also carbs. The second one being protein isolates which is an additional filtering process which removes even more fat and carbs, further concentrating the protein. Protein isolate powders contain about 90 to 95% protein. Finally we have protein hydrolysates which are produced by further heating with acid or enzymes which will lead to the breaking of bonds between amino acids, hydrolysates are also absorbed more quickly by your body and muscles.

Hydrolysates also appear to raise insulin levels even more than other forms, at least in the case of whey protein. This may possibly enhance your muscle growth following your workouts. Some of the powders are also fortified with vitamins and even minerals, especially calcium. However, not everyone will benefit from these powders. If your diet is already rich in and consist of high quality protein, you probably will not see much difference in your quality of life by adding the protein powder. However, the athletes and the people who regularly lift weights may find that taking protein powder helps increase muscle gain and also fat loss. Protein powders can also help individuals who are struggling to meet protein needs with their food alone, such as people who are ill, older adults and certain vegetarians or vegans.



WHEY PROTEIN
Whey protein generally comes from milk. It is the liquid that separates from the curds during the cheese making process. It is high in protein but also harbors lactose, a milk sugar that many people have a difficulty in digesting. While whey protein concentrate retains some lactose, the isolate version contains very little to none because most of this milk sugar is lost during the processing. Whey tends to digest quickly and is rich in branched chain amino acids. Leucine, one of these BCAAs, plays an important role in promoting the muscle growth and your recovery after doing some resistance and endurance exercise. When amino acids are digested and taken into your body, they are available for muscle protein synthesis, or the making of new muscle.

Studies have further revealed that the intake of whey protein can assist you in building and maintaining muscle mass, assisting athletes with their recovery from heavier exercise and also increase muscle strength in response to their strength training. However, a recent 10 week study has shown that postmenopausal women had a similar response to resistance training whether they consumed whey protein or a placebo. Another study in normal weight, overweight and also obese individuals have suggested that the whey protein may possibly improve the body composition by decreasing the fat mass and increasing the lean mass. One study provided lean men with four different types of liquid protein meals on different days. The whey protein meals led to the largest decrease in appetite and the most reduction in calorie intake at the next meal. Other studies have also suggested that the consumption of whey protein may possibly reduce inflammation and it may help certain heart health markers in overweight and also obese people.

CASEIN PROTEIN
Similar to whey, casein is also the protein found in milk. However, casein is digested and absorbed in a much more slower process. Casein tends to form a gel when it interacts with stomach acid, slowing down your stomach from emptying and also delaying your bloodstream absorption of amino acids. This will result in a gradual, steadier exposure of your muscles to amino acids, also reducing the rate of muscle protein breakdown. Research conducted have indicated that casein is more effective at increasing MPS and strength than soy and wheat protein, however, less than whey protein. Although, one study in particular has shown that overweight men have suggested that when calories are restricted, casein may have an edge over whey when it comes to improving body composition during resistance training.

EGG PROTEIN
Eggs are known to be an excellent source of high quality protein. Of all whole foods out there, eggs have the most protein digestibility corrected amino acid score. This score is the measure of a protein's quality and its digestibility. Eggs are also one of the best foods out there meant for decreasing your appetite and also helping you stay full for longer. However, egg protein powders are usually made from egg whites rather than the whole eggs. Although the protein quality remains excellent, you may possibly experience less fullness because of the high fat yolks which have been removed. Like all the animal products, eggs are a form of complete protein source.

That means they will provide you with all nine essential amino acids that your body cannot make by itself. Besides that, egg protein is second only to whey as the highest source of leucine, the BCAA that plays the biggest role in muscle health. Keep in mind that egg white protein has not been studied as much as whey or casein have been. In one of the studies, it demonstrated lesser potential to reduce appetite than casein or pea protein when taken before a meal. In another, female athletes taking egg white protein experienced the similar gains in lean mass and muscle strength as the people supplementing it with carbs. Egg white protein may be a good choice for people with dairy allergies who tend to prefer a supplement based on animal protein.

PEA PROTEIN
Pea protein powder is mainly popular amidst vegetarians, vegans and the people who carry allergies or sensitivities to dairy or eggs. It is made from the yellow split pea, a high fiber legume that holds all but one of the essential amino acids. Pea protein is also very high and rich in BCAAs. A rat study noted that pea protein is absorbed much slower than whey protein but faster than casein. The ability to trigger the release of several fullness hormones can be comparable to that of dairy protein.

In a 12 week study in 161 men doing resistance training, those who consumed 1.8 ounces or 50 grams of pea protein daily experienced the same increase in muscle thickness as those who had the same amount of whey protein on a daily basis. In addition, another study revealed that humans and rats with high blood pressure had a decrease in these escalated levels when they consumed pea protein supplements. Even though pea protein powder shows promise, more high quality research is necessary in order to confirm these results.

BROWN RICE PROTEIN
The protein powders which are made from brown rice have been around for some time now, but for the most part they are generally considered to be inferior to whey protein when it comes to building muscle. Although rice protein contains all of the essential amino acids, it is quite low in lysine to become a complete protein. There is not a lot of research that has been done on rice protein powder, but in one study which compared the effects of rice and also whey powders in fit, young men. The eight week study demonstrated that the consumption of 1.7 ounces or 48 grams of rice or whey protein daily resulted in a similar change in the people's bodies composition, muscle strength and also their recovery. However, more in depth research on brown rice protein is needed in order for anyone to come up with a more solid take on what this protein can actually do for you.

Thank you.