Whey protein - pros and cons

Recently I was contacted by someone who is formulating their own protein powder food supplement to evaluate the ingredients he was planning to use in his powder and to advise him about the proportions of macronutrients. This request opened up a whole host of considerations about what to look for in a good quality protein supplement, many of which are mired in contention.

Whey protein is the most common source of protein for powder. It is available in concentrate, isolate and hydrolyzed forms. There is a ton of conflicting information on which type is best. Some say isolate is the way to go; some say only use concentrated forms. Neither is wrong. Both sides have a valid basis for their argument. It comes down to weighing the pros and cons.

Factors to consider when purchasing whey protein powder:

• Digestion rate – you want the amino acids to work quickly but there is the related question about how much is being absorbed
• Bioavailability – maximum biological value
• Source of the whey – does the whey come from grass-fed, pastured cows free of hormones and GMOs
• Amount of whey as a percentage – divide the grams of protein per serving by the serving size (80% or better is generally considered optimal)
• How much carbohydrate and fat? (most people want as much protein as possible but at what cost?)
• Type of processing – acid-free processing not ion-exchange processing

The argument for whey protein isolate and/or whey protein hydrolysate

Whey protein isolates are the purest form of protein available, with some being more than 90% protein. Hydrolyzed whey protein isolate means that the highest quality whey has been pre-digested into smaller protein fragments for faster digestion than regular whey isolate.

Whey protein isolates have less lactose (some are lactose free) than the concentrated form.

Whey protein isolate goes through more filtering, which means more of the natural carbohydrates found in milk are removed. This means the resulting whey product is higher in protein content. 

Whey protein concentrate

Sounds good for the isolates but here’s the rub. All isolates are exposed to acid processing. Moreover, according to Dr. Joseph Mercola, your body cannot assimilate proteins in isolated form! (I could not find scientific data to back up this claim.) Due to over-processing, isolates are deficient in key amino acids and nutritional cofactors. Most protein concentrates are between 70-80%.

Other factors to consider irrespective of the type of whey include:

• Presence of toxic heavy metals
• Cold or heat processed
• Low carb, naturally sweetened

So there you have it. Pick your protein. The chief advantage of hydrolyzed whey protein isolate seems to be its digestion rate. However, fast digestion doesn’t guarantee proper absorption! Nothing’s simple. The percentage of protein is higher as well but if much of it is being excreted, this fact becomes less important. The extra processing of isolate comes at the cost of destruction of health-promoting substances. 

My recommendation would be to choose a whey protein concentrate, unless you have milk allergies. Choose a brand with whey from pasture-fed non-GMO cows, no heavy metals, cold-processed with no added sugar or artificial flavours. Taking protein powder with proteolytic enzymes may help increase the absorption rate. And remember, as with most things nutritional, more is not always better. Taking in too much may mean you are flushing it and your hard-earned money down the toilet.