Dietary recommendations for athletes have often provided guidelines for daily amounts of total energy consisting of carbohydrates, proteins and fats with little importance placed on when meals where consumed relative to training.  New research is showing that it is not just what you eat but when you eat it that determines the overall success of a resistance training program.  Long-term consumption of whey protein before and after resistance exercise alters anabolic signaling in a manner that is advantageous for muscle hypertrophy.

Protein ingestion increases muscle protein synthesis in proportion to the essential amino acid content of the protein dose.  In certain situations essential amino acid ingestion can provide advantages over intact proteins.  First EAA (essential amino acid) ingestion results in a rapid concentration and delivery of amino acids to skeletal muscle which increases protein synthesis.  EAA ingestion also maximizes the stimulation of muscle protein synthesis without affecting the metabolic response to subsequent meals.  On a gram per gram basis EAA ingestion results in a 2-fold greater accretion of muscle protein than consuming intact proteins.

Based on the current research we recommend taking an amino acid drink such as Intek BCAA Evolution pre-workout.  Don’t worry if you are currently consuming a pre-workout powder as you can mix BCAA Evolution with almost any conventional pre-workout.  Post workout be sure to take in at least 20 grams of protein with some type of carbohydrate.  For the ideal post-workout drink try BioRhythm After Glow.

The goal of this type of nutrient timing is to increase muscle protein synthesis so that the net protein balance becomes positive or anabolic.  When resistance training is performed in conjunction with amino acid consumption increased blood flow to exercising muscles delivers the higher amino acid concentrations to muscle which serves as a signal to increase protein synthesis.

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Most protein users are aware of the recent consumer reports article regarding heavy metals present in some protein powders.  The brands with the largest amounts of metals where EAS Myoplex and Cytosport Muscle Milk. 

On a positive note the brands we have chosen to support at Performance Nutrition are free of these toxic metals.  You can continue to use Optimum Health Pro Complete 40 and Intek Evolution with confidence.  

Consumer Reports purchased 15 protein powders and drinks and tested multiple samples of each for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Levels in several of the products could, with just three servings a day, result in daily exposure to arsenic, cadmium, or lead exceeding USP limits.

Of the 15 protein drinks tested, three of them contained very worrisome levels of arsenic, cadmium and lead.

Which Protein Drinks Fared the Worst?

Three daily servings of the ready-to-drink liquid EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark Chocolate Shake contained an average of:

·              16.9 µg (micrograms) of arsenic

·              5.1 µg of cadmium

The proposed United States Pharmacopoeia’s (USP) limits for these two toxins are 15 and 5 µg respectively.

The worst of the products tested was Muscle Milk Chocolate powder, which contained all four toxic metals; three of them at the highest levels of all products tested.

Muscle Milk’s Vanilla Crème contained slightly less lead, but still exceeded the USP lead limit of 10 µg.

A fourth product, Muscle Milk’s liquid Nutritional Shake Chocolate, also tested high in arsenic, providing you with an average of 14.3 µg of arsenic per day, which is very close to the USP limit.

Arsenic and cadmium appear to be the most problematic here, as the levels of these two compounds in some cases exceeded maximum “safe” limits. However it’s worth noting that, ideally, you don’t want to ingest these toxins at ANY level, as even low-dose exposure can contribute to lingering health problems.

Prevention is clearly your best defense when it comes to protecting yourself against heavy metals and other toxins.

Fortunately, preventing exposure to toxins like arsenic, cadmium and lead is possible by making sure you’re eating as much organic foods as possible, and using protein drinks that are free of heavy metals.  We recommend Intek Protein Evolution and Optimum Health Pro Complete 40 as two of the safest, high quality, great tasting protein products available.

While we cannot recommend any of the low quality, commercial protein shakes on the market, we strongly believe that whey protein powder is a very healthful supplement to your diet and an excellent source of protein.

Whey protein has been linked to a variety of health benefits, including:

·              Helping your pancreas-produced insulin work more effectively, which supports balanced blood sugar levels

·              Promoting healthy insulin secretion

·              Helping to promote your optimal intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals needed for your overall wellness

·              Supporting your immune system, as it contains immunoglobulin

·              Helping you preserve lean body tissue (particularly during exercise) as it delivers bioavailable amino acids and cysteine

·              Maintaining blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range

So keep in mind, protein drinks can be quite beneficial, whether you’re working out and want to increase muscle or using them to supplement an otherwise healthy diet, but quality is everything, and drinking something that’s contaminated with heavy metals won’t do you any good.

Making sure that the product you buy fulfills the healthy criteria mentioned in this article (Such as Pro Complete 40, or Intek Evolution) will ensure that you’re getting the safest, healthiest protein supplement possible.

Which Protein Should You be Using?

Muscle growth is dependent on the balance between protein synthesis and protein breakdown. The goal is to increase protein synthesis and decrease protein breakdown. Casein protein is considered to be a muscle-sparing protein. Since casein protein slowly enters the blood stream, it has a moderate impact on protein synthesis, but it has a powerful effect on reducing protein breakdown.

Current research has shown that in terms of overall muscle tissue increases and decreases of body fat, casein reigns superior. It’s been shown to accomplish this by increasing anabolism to a moderate extent, but more importantly, decreasing catabolism to a large degree. It seems that the reason behind this is simply because of its slow digestion and consequently, absorption rates. It provides a steady, slower paced release of amino acids into the blood stream.

We all know that we need to take whey protein after workouts–but that doesn’t mean that whey can’t be better. Slow-digesting casein protein was once believed to have no place around workout time, but newer research suggests otherwise. In fact, a study from Baylor University (Waco, Texas) reported that men who consumed a whey/casein blend of protein after workouts for 10 weeks gained significantly more muscle than the subjects who consumed a whey protein shake without casein.  These subjects also lost more fat than the ones using only whey.

Current research is showing that the optimal protein for fat loss and muscle building is a mixture of whey and casein protein.  Try Intek Evolution Protein or Optimum Health Pro Complete 40 for the ideal blend of whey and casein proteins.

Insulin is a powerful anabolic hormone that increases muscle growth. It speeds the movement of amino acids into muscle cells and activates signaling chemicals that promote protein synthesis. Blood glucose is a powerful insulin stimulator, but amino acids can also trigger insulin release. Many athletes take protein or amino acids supplements before or after weight training to boost muscle mass and strength. The amino acids from protein act as building blocks for muscle repair and protein synthesis. Hydrolyzed whey protein has been shown to increases insulin release more so than regular whey protein. Hydrolyzed whey protein contains protein hydrolysates which are small packets of amino acids produced by breaking down proteins with acids or enzymes. Insulin release was 28 percent greater following ingestion of HWP compared to WP. The body absorbs HWP better than WP, which results in higher blood levels of specific aminos and greater potential for muscle protein synthesis.

For a great tasting product that uses Hydrolyzed whey protein try Intek Isolate Evolution.

Soy foods, such as tofu, soy meat substitutes, soymilk, soybeans and soy ice cream contain chemicals called isoflavones that bind weakly with estrogen receptors on the male reproductive system. Most studies showing negative effects on the male reproductive function used animals. A study found that men who ate two servings or more a week of soy foods had lower sperm counts than men who ate less soy. The soy had no effect on ejaculate volume, sperm structure or sperm activity. The most effected were obese men. The effects of soy protein on male reproductive function and testosterone levels are highly controversial.

Ever hear “affordable” and “high quality” in the same sentence when referring to protein?  How about “great tasting” and “inexpensive?”  These are all words that describe Intek’s Protein Evolution.  This protein powder blend consists of whey isolate, egg and casein proteins.  This allows for an immediate and extended release of aminos for an anabolic and anti-catabolic effect.  What’s cool about this protein is that its not loaded with fillers like alot of other brands.  Each 40 gram serving size contains a whopping 34 grams of protein!  I don’t know about you but when I buy protein I want protein and not all that other junk some companies throw in there to water down their product.  With 34 grams of protein per 40 gram serving there is no room for fat, cholesterol, sodium or sugar so this is a protein perfect for dieters or people looking to gain lean muscle.  The story doesn’t end there with Intek’s Protein Evolution though.  Intek also adds fiber and a blend of digestive enzymes to further enhance absorbtion.  That means more protein will actually enter your system and less is wasted; more bang for your buck.  A unique feature of this particular protein is the addition of colostrum.  Colostrum is found in mother’s milk and helps to enhance immune function and increase IGF-1 levels which can lead to increased nitrogen retention.  Increased nitrogen retention equals more lean muscle accumulation.  The icing on the cake is that you get all this in a 5lb jug for $47.99!  If you haven’t tried Intek’s Protein Evolution yet I strongly suggest that you do, you will not be sorry.

Dairy based protein has been shown to be more anabolic than plant proteins.  Of the two main dairy proteins whey elicits a faster rise in plasma amino acids than casein does.  Recent studies have also shown that you should combine whey and casein to build muscle and reduce body fat more quickly. 

It can certainly help.  Replacing some carbohydrates and fats with lean protein increases metabolic rates because the human body burns more calories breaking down protein than other types of food.  Most people consume 12 to 15 percent of their total energy intake from protein.  If protein calories are increased research has shown a metabolism boost.  When people eat more protein, they tend to back off from some very refined carbohydrates. 

Include protein for Breakfast for more Energy

If you breakfast consists of yogurt, cereal, or simply coffee, you may need a protein boost to avoid energy slumps, cravings, and overeating later in the day.

If you’re anything like me you want the absolute best of everything.  When it comes to exercise you want the best facilities and the best training techniques and, of course, the best supplements to promote recovery.  Let’s say you’ve got the first two covered and as an avid gym goer you use protein as your foundation supplement.  There are many different kinds of protein on the market including; casein, whey, egg, soy and even hemp protein!  By now I’m sure you’ve figured out that you should be using whey protein due to its absorbability, high BCAA content, mixability and better flavoring.  But did you know there is more than one type of whey?  From poorest quality to purest, this list includes: whey concentrate, whey isolate, micro filtered ion exchange whey isolate, and hydrolyzed whey isolate.  Ion exchange whey is of the purest quality and hydrolyzed whey is a form of ion exchange whey broken down for enhanced absorption.  Although these are the absolute best types of whey they are not cheap to manufacture and can be a costly finished product.  The people that use Isopure or VP2 know what I’m talking about.  I’ve seen Isopure at $52 for a 3lb and VP2 at $50 for a 2lb!!  Ok, you might just want to wipe down your computer screen real quick because you’re about to kiss it.  I’ve found an affordable ion exchange/hydrolyzed whey protein that actually tastes good, no, scratch that, great.  Fortified with glutamine and a vitamin and mineral complex Intek’s Isolate Evolution Protein is, bar none, the best isolate I’ve ever had.  As an added bonus it contains way less sodium than any of the other isolates on the market and it comes in a really cool see through green jug!  Did you kiss your computer screen yet?  Well if that didn’t do it than let’s talk price.  A 3lb jug fetches just $39.99…seriously; you can stop kissing your computer screen now. 

The answer is yes and no, lets dig into this further to see why.  Post workout is probably the most important time for protein intake and getting some to the muscles quickly has been shown to speed recovery.  Quality and absorption rate are definitely important, see our previous article on protein quality for more info on this topic.  The rate of protein absorption is basically the rate at which the body will break down a given protein and turn it into amino acids which are utilized by the muscles.  Whey protein has been shown to be the most effective and the fastest absorbing of the protein options available.  It is pretty safe to say that whey protein is universally accepted as a good option for post workout nutrition.  What many people get confused about are the varying grades of whey protein; whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, whey hydroslate, whey peptides, etc.  There are also different protein percentages that are found within each protein grade.  For instance you can get a whey protein concentrate that is between 34% and 80%, the 80% being much higher quality than the 34%.  Whey protein that is a concentrate and is 80% protein or a whey isolate are sufficient for post workout recovery purposes or for protein intake at other times of the day.  As the marketers look for new products to push you see variations of whey isolates, and hydroslates being touted as “faster” than regular protein which would supposedly provide benefits to the end user.  Most have interesting stories but before you open your wallet and jump on board understand that you will often pay more and there is not research to support that these proteins actually do absorb more quickly and if they did that you would receive any benefit in performance or body composition.