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Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein Gold 5lb Choc NEW US $36.00 (9 Bids) Auction Ends: Tuesday Feb-09-2010 6:57:10 PST | Watch this Item |
You can't open a fitness magazine now a days or walk into a vitamin/supplement shop without seeing protein powders. I've done a protein powder comparison before, however, I wanted to learn more about the benefits of the most popular type: whey protein.
What is Whey Protein?
When cheese is manufactured from cow's milk, a by-product of it is whey. Whey contains various nutrients and essential amino acids. Our bodies can produce non-essential amino acids but cannot create the essential amino acids. We can only get those from food. Protein levels deplete during a workout, so consuming whey protein is an easy way to get these essential amino acids. The convenience and quick absorption of whey protein is what makes it so popular amongst bodybuilders.
The Essential Amino Acids
Below are the essential amino acids that we can only get from the foods we eat.
- Histidine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
Benefits of Whey Protein
There are a ton of benefits to taking whey protein. The most popular benefit is that of helping to increase lean muscle mass development.
- Helps increase muscle mass
- Stabilizes blood sugar
- Helps in weight loss/fat loss
- Enhances immune function
- Encourages bone growth
- Absorbed and utilized better than other proteins
- Helps increase mental and physical energy
- May help prevent prostate cancer
- May help prevent chronic periodontal disease
There are also a ton of different whey protein powders on the market. I prefer ones that don't contain artificial sweeteners or artificial flavors. There are some good ones that use stevia (herb commonly used as a sugar substitute) as a sweetener and taste really good.
Reference:
Whey Protein FAQ
Whey Protein (Wikipedia)
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That’s a great overview of whey protein. Taking protein powder post workouts is a great way to encourage muscle repair and growth. If you can also get protein from normal foods, this would be very beneficial too.
As someone who has hypoglycemia, I’m always looking for new ways to help control my sugar level. Reading this, I was pleased to find out that whey protein can also help in controlling sugar levels. Is this something that needs to be consumed before or after a workout?
You would want to have the whey protein post workout.
Thanks David. I’ve always found that I tend to eat too much, having to control my sugar levels with food and of course the cravings that come along with it. I’m going to give this a try.
I always like to join in on posts on protein and I would just like to share a tip with you. If you’re looking to build muscle, to maximize muscle gain, during the night you should have casein protein which is slow digesting and feeds your muscles through the night.
Thanks for the post!
Many people think whey protein is only for people that weight train, but this couldn’t be any further from the truth. I think many people can benefit by taking it even if they are not trying to build muscle.
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