Whey Protein

If there’s one thing tiny schoolchildren and gigantic bodybuilders have in common, it’s their love for the nursery rhyme: ““Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet eating her curds and whey. ...” (although for very different reasons). At this very moment, there are dozens of wouldbe bodybuilders shaking, stirring, or mixing whey protein into their favorite beverage. Indeed, whey protein is considered a staple of bodybuilding supplementation. It’s particularly powerful as part of the “recovery window” after a workout – supposedly boosting muscle growth and recovery. 

Interestingly, whey is also being studied as a supplement to help people who may never set foot in a gym. Recently published research has suggested that whey may reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and may act as an antioxidant. 

Like creatine, the benefits of whey protein aren’t something conjured up in a boardroom –but proven in a laboratory. 

Claims

Better-absorbed form of protein, builds muscle, speeds recovery, boosts immunity. 

How it works

Whey protein has two major routes of functioning: it’s amino acid composition and it’s immunoglobulin concentration. The amino acids in whey (the building blocks of protein) are prime for muscle building. Because whey has extremely high levels of branch chain amino acids– the amino acids found mostly in muscle– it’s ideal for giving your body the building blocks it needs for growth and repair.

What makes whey protein particularly unique is its ability to communicate with the body –essentially telling it to ramp up immunity and make new muscle tissue.

Evidence

Whey protein has a mountain of scientific research in its favor –bolstering the vast majority of the health claims found on the side of the oversized containers.

Absorption: It turns out that not only is whey better absorbed, but also absorbed faster than other types of protein. Normally, absorption speed wouldn’t make a lick of difference for your body, but there’s one critical point in time where whey shines: right after your workout. 

The period following your strength training session, known as the “recovery window” is one of the most critical times for muscle growth. In the recovery window, your body is primed for muscle building. Your damaged muscles are hungry for nutrients and will go to great lengths to utilize the nutrients that they’re given. Because whey is quickly available for your body, it maximizes the potential benefits during this recovery window.

Builds Muscle: There’s really no debate here: whey builds muscle. Sure, the absorption speed plays a role, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Because whey protein is composed mostly of BCAAs, it provides your body with something it needs most to build new muscle –high quality amino acids. 

In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that whey protein significantly increased the potential for muscle growth from strength training.  

Increases Strength: It may seem like a no-brainer that more muscle translates to more strength –but this isn’t always the case. There’s an important distinction to be made between functional muscle and plain old muscle. The former helps you run, jump, and lift more while the latter makes you look better flexing in front of the mirror. Luckily, whey protein builds the kind of muscles that makes you stronger. Research presented at the American Physiological Association in San Diego found that when athletes were trained and given whey protein, they improved their lifting capacity more than the same group that received a placebo. Bottom line: whey makes you strong.

Aids Recovery: Recovery is crucial for two reasons: firstly, it’s the time that your body is ready to pack on new muscle. Also, faster recovery means that you bounce back faster so you come back stronger for your next session. 

In this regard, you simply can’t beat whey protein. I’ve already shown you that whey 

is absorbed faster, better, and has a ludicrously high concentration of BCAAs. But what makes whey the gold standard for protein is its ability to act as a cell signaler –ramping up the enzymes that build muscle.

A study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport found that whey protein helps muscle damaged from training repair and recover faster by ramping up protein synthesis –the process that initiates muscle growth.

Immunity: Whey protein contains a number of unique proteins called immunoglobulin. These immunoglobulin interact with your body’s immune system to help it create more body-shielding immune cells. Research published in the Journal of Nutrition found that the immunoglobulins in whey significantly improved the body’s innate immunity –helping it ward off a wide variety of potential invaders.

Chronic Disease: Although there is some promising literature pointing towards whey as stir-able intervention to offset the most common diseases of our time –there still needs to be more research before whey gets prescribed to cancer patients.

Side Effects: In general, whey is exceptionally well tolerated. Unless you have a milk allergy, there’s no reason to avoid whey protein. The only time whey can becomes detrimental to health is if it’s eaten in place of meals. In that case it’s ousting essential nutrients found in whole foods. 

Research-Based Dose

Timing is just an important as the amount. It’s best to take 24-40g of whey protein right after your workout. 

Verdict

Whether you want to be buff or just in better shape, whey protein can be a tremendous boon to all things muscle. Because of its fairly wide variety of health benefits –with almost no side effects –there isn’t much of a reason not to be taking whey protein.

Although beneficial on it’s own, there are two ways to skyrocket whey’s effectiveness. The first is to take creatine with whey after your workout. The literature is very clear on this: whey + creatine outperforms whey or creatine alone every single time. The second is to take your whey with some sort of carbohydrate source. It appears that the carbohydrates help shuttle whey into the muscles that need it most.