Whey protein is a by-product of the milk that gets separated during cheese production. This milk contains two types of protein, casein, and whey. After the milk gets separated, it undergoes various stages of processing that become whey protein powder.
This powder contains essential amino acids and BCAA that help build muscle mass, increase strength while promoting weight loss.
Although casein contains 80% of protein and whey contains only 20%, whey is absorbed more quickly than most types of protein.
While the cells in our body are capable of producing amino acids, we get the most out of the food we consume. The amino acids that we get from whey are said to stimulate higher growth in our muscles which is why they are called essential amino acids.
Whey protein is said to be power-packed with all the necessary amino acids including branch-chained amino acids (BCAA), like leucine and cysteine, which are incremental in promoting growth in our body.
Different Types of Whey Protein
There are several types of whey protein and their difference lies in the ways they are processed.
Concentrate: It has about 70-80% protein and contains some lactose, overall being a composition of milk, sugar, and fat. This variant has the best flavour.
Isolate: With over 90% protein, this contains less lactose and fat. However, isolate lacks a lot of the beneficial nutrients generally found in whey protein concentrate.
Hydrolysate: This is also known as hydrolyzed whey. Hydrolysate is a type of whey protein that has been pre-digested so that it can be absorbed faster. It causes a higher spike in insulin levels than the isolate variant.