Eating This Kind Of Whey Protein Is Like Eating Glue!
Author: Jon Bender
Chances are you’ve maybe read a recent article or two about whole food dairy and how when it comes to whey protein powders you want to consume “whole food” proteins whenever possible. Hold on, did that article really say “whole food” dairy proteins? Seriously? Are we two year olds? “What do we mean,” you may ask?
Let’s take a quick course on whey protein.
Class: Welcome to Whey Protein 101.
According to Wikipedia, whey is a by-product of the cheese-making process. Its protein-rich contents can be filtered to yield a concentrated or isolated whey protein.
Whey protein typically comes in three major forms: concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate.
Whey proteins are highly bio-available and are quickly absorbed into the body, and have a high concentration of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs), which are highly concentrated in muscle tissue, and are used to fuel working muscles and stimulate protein synthesis.
NOTE: Whey is an important element to help keep your Ageless Impact showing!!
The difference between the various whey protein forms is the process used to filter them. Whey isolates yield a higher percentage of pure protein and when filtered properly are virtually lactose free, casein free, carbohydrate free, fat-free, and cholesterol free.
Wikipedia continues to say, whey protein is essential in today’s bodybuilding world because of its ability to be digested very rapidly and quickly help return the post-workout body back from a catabolic (muscle-wasting) state to an anabolic (muscle-building) state.
Because of precise filtration methods, whey isolates tend to be less allergenic than whey concentrates and other bovine milk or dairy products. Less allergenic means less-mucus (“snot”) forming in the body. This is because 90% of a lower quality protein called casein has been isolated and filtered out. After all, what person who is serious about looking and feeling their best wants mucus dripping out of their nose or worst building up in their intestines. Yes, we know, it sounds disgusting, but this is only half of it.
To take a deeper look, the question is, what is casein as found in whey concentrates?
Casein, plain and simple, is milk-glue. Remember elementary school? There was a reason why Elsie-the-Cow was on the front of the bottle of your Elmer’s Glue!
Cows create glue from milk proteins called casein. Mike Adams, the well respected author and editor of a company called Natural News, in an interview with Robert Cohen, author and the Executive Director of the Diary Education Board, Mike Adams asked Cohen about Casein and Cohen stated,
“…When you take milk and you get rid of the fat and water you’re left with just protein, and basically they’re blood proteins, serum albumin, milk protein, 90% of it is casein. Casein, when it’s extracted from milk is actually a glue. The type used to put a label on a bottle of beer and to hold together the wood in your furniture. When you eat this casein glue from milk, your body sees it as a foreign protein, and in turn produces histamines which end up as mucus. it’s a process that takes 10 to 12 hour.”
After reading this, doesn’t it make sense that if you are going to feed, help tone and sculpt your muscles with the highest-quality bio-available protein, it would wise to say, “please hold the glue” and stick (no pun intended) to a purer form of whey protein where the glue had been isolated and filtered out? If that makes sense to you, you may want to feed your muscles (like professional body builders and many health conscious people do) whey isolate, not mucus forming casein laden concentrates.
Recent articles may argue, “Yes, but what about all the “recovery/muscle breakdown” benefits of casein? After all whey isolates do help tone and sculpt your muscles best, but what about the all important recovery/muscle breakdown?”
Our answer to this question would point to the same conclusions that were featured in a “Which Protein Is Best Face-Off” as featured in a 2007 Muscle and Fitness’ article.
MUSCLE AND FITNESS’ “Which Protein Is Best Official Scorecard?”
NO. 1 WHEY: Whey protein (think Whey Isolate) contains components that enhance dilation of blood vessels, which promotes the delivery of nutrients (such as the amino acids it supplies), hormones and oxygen to muscles during exercise. Due to its rapid digestion rate and impact on blood flow, its aminos are quickly available to enhance muscle protein synthesis. Research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (Galveston) shows that rapid delivery of amino acids to muscles immediately before workouts maximizes muscle protein synthesis. This brings whey in at No.1.
NO. 2 SOY: Soy is beginning to show signs of improvement since it has a high amount of arginine (almost 2 grams per 20 grams of soy), it makes a great enhancer to help the dilation of blood vessels. Plus it’s digested almost as rapidly as whey protein.
NO. 3 EGG WHITE: Egg protein is second to soy in arginine content, meaning that it can also help enhance blood flow to muscles via greater dilation.
NO. 4 CASEIN: Last, but certainly not least, casein (think Whey Concentrate) is slowly digested, which means it won’t get a boatload of aminos to your muscles fast. It will, however, supply a steady flow that can help stave off muscle breakdown during a workout. It comes in at No. 4 here, but it’s still a valuable protein for a pre-workout mix.
So, if you don’t mind your nose running or mucus forming in your intestines, Casein (think Whey Concentrate) could be right for you. Especially since it is SUPER CHEAP and available through cheese manufactures selling-off their cheese making waste. (Remember, 90% of non-isolate whey proteins are casein) That is why whey isolate is so much more expensive to produce; it must be isolated, and then purified and filtered.
But when it comes to muscle recovery/breakdown, you will find many hundreds of other “muscle recovery” food options that will give you cleaner and “better tasting” options than eating glue from casein.
In Conclusion: There Are Pros And Cons To All Proteins.
The unfortunate reality is that oftentimes competitors of the different types of proteins will criticize the other in order to gain greater market share for themselves. We believe that those who speak negatively about whey protein isolate or even the more expensive hyrolysate pre-digested proteins do so for a couple of reasons. One, they are either uneducated on the facts, or two, they would rather try and defame others that sell higher quality whey in order to justify pitching lower end proteins that offer higher profit margins for their businesses. The latter may be the most likely reason they do this!
We could jump on the financial “band wagon” and significanly increase our profit margins by exclusively offering you a lower quality whey concentrate protien loaded with casein (glue), but that would not fit into our mission of providing you only the best quality products at the lowest prices!
Since you really are like a one-of-a-kind Ferrari, what do you want to put into your tank?
We believe all of these proteins provide benefits. However, even at a slightly higher cost, giving your body whey protein isolate is like filling-up your Ferrari (you) with super high-octane fuel versus cheaper unleaded gasoline.
We hope you have found this article informative and “moooving” now that you have a more complete story about what’s the best type of whey protein to feed your body.
The question is, do you want more or less mucus in your body?
Class dismissed!
Jon and Greg
AgelessImpact Co-founders
P.S. When it comes to Soy Protein, we believe men should consider avoiding it completely since many studies now suggest that it can create estrogen in the body. Not a good thing!
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Here is an independent paper on the casein “glue” issue. It is especially good if you want to make your own glue out of casein:
http://www.chymist.com/Glue%20from%20Milk.pdf
ELMER’S GLUE FROM MILK
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Concluding remarks about mucus in the body: We realize that “natural occurring low levels” of mucus could be functional in some cases by coating and helping to protect the organ membranes from irritating pollutants. However, “excess mucus” caused by histamines triggered from consuming casein on a regular bases is NOT a good thing! This excess mucus could create a perfect medium for bacterium to grow and other pollutants, such as pollen, molds, dust mites and/or animal dander to become trapped in it potentially causing infections.
Asthmatics often complain of coughing up thick and viscous mucus. This is because asthmatics produce excess mucus which can block the airways. This causes breathing to become difficult. In our opinion, asthmatics in particular should consider completely avoiding anything such as casein that could cause excess mucus in the body!