Protein powder…
… might not be the golden dust it is pretending to be.
When you log on to Instagram, you might find yourself swamped with fitness influencers sprinkling protein powder onto practically everything they eat. We hear about protein pancakes, keto diets, grass fed beef, butter in a cup of coffee… You might be wondering whether you should nip into a shop and buy some to see what the current hype is about. Well before you get tempted to do that, read this article. It will give you a better understanding of how protein powders work and what is actually in them.
How much protein do we need?
World Health Organization recommends daily allowance for protein intake of 0.83 g/kg of body weight per day. This is an amount of protein that meets the requirements of 97%–98% of the population. (1) Although there is a lack of consensus regarding the formal definition of a high-protein diet, most definitions set a threshold between 1.2 and 2.0 g/kg of body weight per day. (2) People that regularly exercise should keep their protein intake in the amounts of approx. 0.8-1.2 g/kg of body weight, whereas people who prepare for an intense sporting event (running, cycling, weights), can go very slightly above 1.2 g/kg of body weight.
What does this mean? Let’s look at some examples: A person who has a weight of 65kg and does an average amount of activity should consume 65*0.83=54g protein a day. The very same person that exercises regularly should very crudely consume between 54g and 78g of protein a day.
What is protein powder?
Protein powder is a nutritional supplement. It is produced by extracting protein from various sources. These can be plant or animal based. During the production process carbohydrates, fats and minerals are removed. Once a pure protein is achieved, various substances such as vitamins, flavor and sugars are then added.
In order to understand how protein affects our body, we need to consider how amino acids work. Amino acids are building blocks of muscle protein. There are 20 amino acids that our body needs to correctly function. Nine of them are called essential amino acids and eleven are non-essential amino acids. Our body can produce some non essential amino acids, whilst essential amino acids we get from food.
Animal protein contains all essential amino acids, whilst plant protein usually does not. Instead, it normally offers various incomplete amino acids. This means that in order to get enough protein, variety in what we eat is key. In order to achieve similar results as someone that consumes animal sources of protein, a plant based diet requires a wide amount of various plants to substitute animal protein. An exception to this are tofu, edamame and soy which are plan based sources of all 9 complete amino acids.
How much protein is in the protein powder?
Protein powders differ a lot in terms of how much protein they actually contain. There are three main types, protein concentrate, protein hydrosalate and protein isolate. As protein powders are considered supplements, they are very unregulated. This means that we have to rely on the information on the packaging as to what we actually consume. The general rule with protein powders is that the more processing is involved in production, the more expensive the protein powder. So protein concentrate is very likely have a lower price tag than protein isolate or protein hydrosalate.
Protein concentrate
Protein concentrate is the most basic form of protein powder. It requires the least processing. These protein powders vary significantly in the amount of protein they contain. The range can be between 30% and 90% of protein but the most commonly, they contain around 70% to 80% of protein. They also consist of fat and carbohydrates. The production method depends on what is the concentrate made from.
– Fish protein concentrate
Fish protein concentrate is produced by grinding the fish, then adding a solvent which separates solid and liquid part and then solids are extracted using a force (the process is called centrifugation).
– Leaf protein concentrate
Leaf protein concentrate is made by grinding and pressing leaves into a paste and then extracting protein using filtration.
– Whey protein concentrate
Whey protein concentrate is produced from whey, a liquid part of milk, which is a by-product of cheese production.
Protein isolate
Protein isolate contains more protein than protein concentrate, usually around 90%-95%. It is made by further filtration. Thee amount of carbohydrates and fats is minimal. It is more costly to produce but potentially offers quicker absorption and is a preferred option for body builders.
Protein hydrosalate
Protein hydrosalate is also known as hydrolyzed protein. Hydrolysis is a process during which protein molecules are broken down into amino acids and peptides. This is done by exposure to additional heat, acids or enzymes. Protein hydrosalate is marketed as a easier to digest and potentially even more effective.
Animal derived protein powders
The most typical animal derived proteins on the market are whey or casein protein (both derived from milk), beef protein (if you want to avoid dairy) and others.
Animal derived proteins are easier to digest, which means that they are more efficient in building muscle than their plant derived counterparts. Nevertheless, some people with dairy allergy or lactose intolerant might experience gastrointestinal discomfort when using milk derived proteins.
If your aim is getting the muscular look, together with exercise, the animal derived protein might be the best option. If you are looking into staying healthy for a long time, it is something so steer clear away from, despite the amount of advertising these proteins get. Why? Too much of animal protein makes us age faster.
Animal protein has been proven to accelerate aging according to a recent study in mice. Lifelong dietary essential amino acid restriction reduces mTORC1 signaling, frailty, and extends the lifespan. Dietary essential amino acid restriction begun in midlife promotes health span of both sexes and reduces the incidence of cancer in females. Protein quality – the specific amino acid composition of dietary protein – is as important as the amount of dietary protein consumed. (3)
Plant derived protein powders
If you are vegetarian or vegan, you have a wide array of plant based proteins to choose from. Such examples are soy protein (popular as it contains essential amino acids), pea protein, brown rice protein (hypoalergenic), hemp protein and many others.
Plant based proteins don’t have longevity drawbacks like the animal based proteins, but are less effective. It is because they contain less leucine. Leucine is one of the essential amino acids and responsible for muscle building. At the same time, plant based protein offers incomplete amino acids. As a consequence, they have to be consumed in significantly higher doses to achieve the same result as animal derived proteins, which offer full set of 9 essential amino acids.
Consider also this!
Added sugars
Some protein powders are very low on sugars, whilst others can contain between a half to a full amount of the maximum daily recommended added sugar intake per scoop!
Protein and kidney function
It has been proven that a high protein diet can impair a kidney function for people with an existing kidney disease. (4)
Toxins
Some protein powders contain a significant amount of toxins such as heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, led and mercury) as well as BPA and pesticides.
Healthy protein powder alternatives
- Eggs and poultry, low fat milk and yoghurt offer all 9 essential amino acids.
- Quinoa, soy, edamame, tempeh and tofu are all vegan friendly sources of complete protein (all 9 essential amino acids)
- Combining beans and rice together gets you a complete amino profile.
- Nuts and seeds contain incomplete amino acids but are nevertheless a perfect snack if you want to increase your protein intake in a natural way
Let’s stay in touch!
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Resources:
(1) Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition : report of a joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation, United Nations University, ISBN 92 4 120935 6, (NLM classification: QU 145), ISSN 0512-3054, downloaded 29/05/2024 from https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/43411
(2) The Effects of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health and Longevity, Ko, Gang-Jee; Rhee, Connie M.; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Joshi, Shivam, JASN 31(8):p 1667-1679, August 2020. | DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2020010028, downloaded 29/05/2024 from https://journals.lww.com/jasn/fulltext/2020/08000/the_effects_of_high_protein_diets_on_kidney_health.7.aspx
(3) Lifelong restriction of dietary branched-chain amino acids has sex-specific benefits for frailty and lifespan in mice, Nicole E. Richardson, Elizabeth N. Konon, Haley S. Schuster, Alexis T. Mitchell, Colin Boyle, Allison C. Rodgers, Megan Finke, Lexington R. Haider, Deyang Yu, Victoria Flores, Heidi H. Pak, Soha Ahmad, Sareyah Ahmed, Abigail Radcliff, Jessica Wu, Elizabeth M. Williams, Lovina Abdi, Dawn S. Sherman, Timothy Hacker, Dudley W. Lamming, Nat Aging. 2021 Jan; 1(1): 73–86., Published online 2021 Jan 14. doi: 10.1038/s43587-020-00006-2, PMCID: PMC8009080, PMID: 33796866, downloaded 28/05/2024 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8009080/
(4) The Effects of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health and Longevity, Ko, Gang-Jee; Rhee, Connie M.; Kalantar-Zadeh, Kamyar; Joshi, Shivam, JASN 31(8):p 1667-1679, August 2020. | DOI: 10.1681/ASN.2020010028, downloaded 29/05/2024 from The Effects of High-Protein Diets on Kidney Health and Longe… : Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (lww.com)
