Which Protein is Best for Me?

03 february 2022

Do you consume enough protein every day? This might be a question you've never asked yourself, or perhaps it's something you think about daily. Since the rise of the fitness culture,
partly due to social media, much has been written about the importance of proteins. However, it's a misconception that only athletes need to pay extra attention to their
protein intake. Read on to find out why!

A protein is made up of various amino acids and can be seen as a kind of necklace of sometimes hundreds of amino acids linked together. When you ingest protein through food, it is broken down during the digestive process in the intestine into smaller proteins (peptides) and absorbed into the bloodstream. Your body uses these peptides to build body tissues that mainly consist of protein, such as bone and muscle connective tissue.

Can Your Body Produce Amino Acids?

Some amino acids can be produced by the body itself, namely the non-essential amino acids. However, essential amino acids cannot be produced by the body and must be obtained (in sufficient amounts) from food.

Why Should You Take Extra Proteins?

In principle, you can produce and obtain sufficient amino acids through food. But under certain circumstances, the body's needs are higher, and taking extra proteins is recommended. This can be the case during stress, (intense) exercise, illness, or recovery after surgery. Additionally, certain dietary patterns can increase the risk of insufficient protein intake. Consider specific diets, veganism, vegetarianism, or a monotonous diet, which we often see in older adults. Insufficient protein intake can cause physical complaints because proteins are crucial for many diverse processes in your body. For instance, they play an important role in bone formation and promote muscle development. No wonder athletes are so concerned with their protein intake!

The body uses amino acids from protein to repair and build muscle tissue

Exercise, Proteins and Muscles

Proteins are of great importance to athletes. Not only for muscle recovery after exertion or a workout but also for building them. When you train, tiny tears occur in the muscle tissue. The body uses amino acids from protein to repair and build this muscle tissue. Each time this happens, the muscle recovers stronger than before. This way, you build more strength and muscle after every training or physical exertion.

How Much Protein Do You Need?

The amount of protein your body needs varies from person to person. On average, healthy people need 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. So, someone weighing 70 kilos needs about 56 grams of protein, and someone weighing 95 kilos needs about 76 grams per day. But as we mentioned earlier, many factors can cause the general recommended amount to be insufficient. Protein needs increase, for example, when you engage in intensive sports. Strength athletes and bodybuilders who want to build muscle mass need about 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Endurance and team athletes also need proteins for muscle recovery after exertion. They need about 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. Therefore, it is good to occasionally take a critical look at your lifestyle and dietary pattern. There is plenty of information available online, and there are handy apps where you can track and calculate your protein intake. You might find that your protein intake is a bit low. Then you can choose to consistently consume extra protein-rich foods or, in addition to a healthy diet, opt for a protein supplement.

Different Types of Protein Supplements

If you choose to take extra proteins in supplement form (protein powder), it's important to know what proteins are available and what the differences are. You can distinguish between different types of proteins based on their source, absorption rate, and amino acid profile.

1. Source

There are proteins from animal sources such as whey and casein, as well as proteins from plant sources like soy, peas, beans, rice, and nuts. These protein sources differ in biological availability. This means there is a difference in how well the proteins, specifically the amino acids, are absorbed by the cells.

2. Absorption Rate

Each type of protein has a different rate at which it can be absorbed by the body. Casein is a slow protein because it is a large protein molecule and interacts with stomach acid. Casein binds to gastric juice, forming a gel-like substance that coats the food mass. The slow digestion of casein can be useful when doing strength training. After an intensive strength session, fat burning can continue for up to 24 hours, putting you in a so-called catabolic process where muscle breakdown occurs. By taking a slow protein like casein, you ensure that your body is supported in maintaining your muscle mass even at night. Whey, on the other hand, is a smaller protein than casein and belongs to the fast proteins. Whey is the liquid that results from cheese making by curdling milk after adding rennet. During this process, clumped solid parts form, called curds. These remain when the liquid, the whey, is easily drained. This whey liquid has a green-yellow colour and contains many vitamins, minerals, and whey protein. The advantage of whey is that it is absorbed by the body more quickly, which is beneficial for recovery and muscle building immediately after a workout.

3. Amino Acid Profile

Proteins can differ significantly in amino acid profile. Besides getting enough protein, it is equally important that the proteins are of good quality. It is important that the body has enough essential amino acids available in a ratio that matches the composition of our body protein. The more it resembles our own body protein, the higher the 'biological value'. The biological value indicates how valuable it is for the body. The biological value of the body is set at 100 for reference. However, all essential amino acids must be present; otherwise, the body cannot produce new proteins. In theory, you can eat plenty of proteins but still not experience the maximum benefits of proteins due to the type of amino acid profile. A complete amino acid profile contains all essential amino acids and is optimally absorbable. Animal proteins have a complete amino acid profile, while most plant protein sources have an incomplete amino acid profile.

Plant-Based Proteins

Plant-based proteins are less similar to our body protein than animal proteins. In a plant-based diet, it is important to combine different plant proteins to get the complete amino acid profile. You make it easier for yourself by choosing a plant-based protein shake that provides all the necessary amino acids.

Whey Proteins

Returning to whey proteins, they are popular due to their high biological value. But even these can be subdivided. To isolate whey proteins from whey, various purification steps are possible. These different techniques each yield their own degree of purity.

Whey Concentrate is the least processed form of whey protein and contains about 70-85% protein. The rest mainly consists of carbohydrates (mainly lactose) and fats. Whey Isolate has undergone an extra filtration step where the carbohydrates and fats have almost disappeared, and it contains almost no lactose. Whey Isolate contains more than 90% protein and is so pure that it is very popular among bodybuilders and avid athletes, as its quick absorption and easy digestibility make it extremely suitable for muscle building, muscle recovery, and lean training. If you are not an avid athlete but want to increase your protein intake, whey isolate is also extremely suitable.

Whey Hydrolysate is the purest and consists of 100% whey protein, but the filtration techniques needed to obtain pure whey protein are so costly, and the difference in effect compared to isolate is so small that the preference usually goes to whey isolate.

BCAAs

Whey proteins are rich in the branched amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. These are also known as BCAAs: Branched Chain Amino Acids. Due to their unique spatial structure, leucine, isoleucine, and valine play a distinct role in your metabolism. Unlike other amino acids, they do not need to be 'processed' in the liver first but enter the bloodstream directly. This means they are immediately transported to their destination: the muscle and connective tissues. Due to their branching, BCAAs can be particularly well incorporated into muscle tissue. Almost 30% of the total amount of amino acids used for muscle fibre synthesis are branched amino acids. BCAAs are also of great significance in connective tissue structures.

Whether you are an athlete or not, proteins are a very important part of your daily diet. They are literally the foundation of all cells and the building blocks of our body. Add them between meals to your daily diet for strong bones and muscles!