Your body needs protein in order to repair and rebuild, and the best proteins contain plenty of amino acids to support growth. Whey protein is sometimes called the ultimate protein due to the large amounts of branched chain amino acids that it contains, and it is one of the two types of protein that come from milk.
There are two main types of whey protein available. Whey protein isolate is the purest, as the fat and lactose is removed during processing. Although whey protein concentrate is also very low in fat, it is only around 75% pure protein (while whey protein isolate is over 90% pure protein).
If you’re interested in nutrition and bodybuilding, you will most likely already have heard that there are substantial benefits to including any type of whey protein in your regimen. However, you may not know exactly why the branched chain amino acids and other chemicals found in whey protein are often said to be so important. Let’s look at the three main reasons why adding more whey protein to your diet can improve your health.
Image Credit: las – initially of flickr
1) It will help you to attain greater levels of fitness:
A wide range of studies support the claim that whey protein can help to improve your muscle growth from resistance training. For example, in one study it was discovered that a group of people consuming whey protein enjoyed greater increases in strength when compared to a group of people who were supplementing casein (the other milk protein).
It is speculated that most of the bodybuilding benefits of whey protein stem from the branched chain amino acids that it contains. As it turns out, whey protein contains more of these amino acids than any other food source. They help to stimulate the synthesis of protein, provide energy for working muscles, and repair lean muscle tissue.
The branched chain amino acids in whey protein have also been proven to help prevent fatigue during sustained, intense exercise (such as marathon runs), so adding whey protein to your regimen may greatly improve your stamina.
2) It can help you to cultivate a slimmer figure:
Another unique benefit of whey protein is its link to helping you develop a particularly lean body. Firstly, it has the ability to satiate the appetite. If you are trying to lose weight, whey protein can help you to reduce your calorie intake without experiencing painful hunger pangs.
Secondly, one research project found that combining whey and casein proteins can help you to attain the greatest and speediest increase in fat-free mass. Other studies have revealed that whey protein may encourage your body to burn more fat during exercise.
Finally, additional experiments on the powers of whey protein have shown that consuming it is better than eating red meat if you want to improve your insulin sensitivity and reduce your likelihood of gaining excess weight.
3) It promotes better health and fitness in old age:
Exciting new research on whey protein suggests that it can reduce the troubling decline of muscle mass that tends to gradually worsen as you age. Specifically, it appears that combining resistance training with more than the recommended daily intake of whey protein seems to provide the best results. Once again, nutritionists theorize that the branched-chain amino acids in whey protein are most likely to be responsible for this health benefit.
Perhaps even more importantly, regular consumption of whey protein reduces your risk of developing osteoporosis (i.e. brittle bones). It is particularly effective at increasing femoral bone strength and density.
Finally, there is also evidence that whey protein improves levels of glutathione, and this means that whey protein has the ability to improve general health in old age. Higher levels of glutathione are associated with a lower likelihood of developing age-related conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and vision loss due to cataracts.
Author Bio:
Alexander Bohan contributed this guest post for NaturesBest.co.uk a direct selling vitamins company. Alexander is studying naturopathy. He is also a freelance writer who enjoys writing on various health blogs.