Benefits of Whey Protein
When you put a lot of time and effort into working out, it only makes sense to help your body get the most out of it. Feeding your body before and after your workout is a simple and important step to avoid being sore as well as to nourish your muscles. Whey supplies many of the nutrients needed to increase the effectiveness of your workout, and has long been used by beginning, intermediate, and advanced bodybuilders both before and after workouts.
Your body can digest whey very rapidly, and it increases the levels of amino acids available to your muscles to effectively increase mass. During a workout, whey opens up your veins allowing better blood flow, which increases the level of oxygen and nutrients available. The muscles torn down during your workout will be repaired more quickly with the building blocks of protein will be available to rebuild them.
Forms of Whey Protein
The three main forms of whey protein are concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate. Concentrates are lower in fat and cholesterol but usually have more carbohydrates. They typically contain 29%to 89% protein. Isolates have had the fat and lactose removed, and is typically at least 90% protein by weight. Hydrolysates are pre-digested, which make them easier to absorb, but they are usually the most expensive.
Whey Protein Nutrition Facts
Whey protein is a complete source of all the essential amino acids, which form the building blocks of protein. While all of these amino acids are important, leucine and cysteine are of the most interest to bodybuilders. Whey protein also supplies the B vitamins of B6, B12, pantothenic acid, thiamine, and riboflavin, which are all important for proper muscle formation and brain function. Whey protein is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, magnesium and selenium.
Whey contains large amounts of leucine, which helps to initiate protein synthesis and helps you to recover faster and exercise with less stress. Leucine is an essential amino acid used by your liver, muscles, and adipose tissue to form sterols and to promote muscle protein synthesis. It slows the degradation of muscle tissue and stimulates muscle growth and is considered one of the most important muscle building amino acids.
Cysteine is used by your body to make the antioxidant glutathione, which is an antioxidant that defends your body from free radicals and toxins. Cysteine is a nonessential amino acid, which means that your body can make it, but during times of extreme stress or during muscle building regimens, supplementing is helpful. In addition, cysteine regulates the nitric oxide cycle which supplies extra nutrients and oxygen to your cells as well as helps to carry away lactic acid and toxins, preventing soreness. Glutathione is important for protein, DNA, and prostaglandin synthesis, for repairing DNA, for transporting amino acids, and for activating enzymes.
Dietary Considerations about Whey
If you are allergic to casein, you are probably allergic to whey. If you are lactose intolerant, highly-hydrolysed whey is generally not as allergenic as other whey forms. Some whey labels say that they do not contain -lactoglobulin or beta-lactoglobulin, which is usually the casein that contains the most allergens.
Whey is unsuitable for vegans or strict vegetarians unless it does not contain rennet. Even though whey is a byproduct of making cheese, most cheese makers use rennet to curdle the cheese, and rennet is harvested from baby cows, or cattle. There are some cheese is makers who do not use rennet, which would be suitable for strict vegetarians.
Your body can digest whey very rapidly, and it increases the levels of amino acids available to your muscles to effectively increase mass. During a workout, whey opens up your veins allowing better blood flow, which increases the level of oxygen and nutrients available. The muscles torn down during your workout will be repaired more quickly with the building blocks of protein will be available to rebuild them.
Forms of Whey Protein
The three main forms of whey protein are concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate. Concentrates are lower in fat and cholesterol but usually have more carbohydrates. They typically contain 29%to 89% protein. Isolates have had the fat and lactose removed, and is typically at least 90% protein by weight. Hydrolysates are pre-digested, which make them easier to absorb, but they are usually the most expensive.
Whey Protein Nutrition Facts
Whey protein is a complete source of all the essential amino acids, which form the building blocks of protein. While all of these amino acids are important, leucine and cysteine are of the most interest to bodybuilders. Whey protein also supplies the B vitamins of B6, B12, pantothenic acid, thiamine, and riboflavin, which are all important for proper muscle formation and brain function. Whey protein is an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, magnesium and selenium.
Whey contains large amounts of leucine, which helps to initiate protein synthesis and helps you to recover faster and exercise with less stress. Leucine is an essential amino acid used by your liver, muscles, and adipose tissue to form sterols and to promote muscle protein synthesis. It slows the degradation of muscle tissue and stimulates muscle growth and is considered one of the most important muscle building amino acids.
Cysteine is used by your body to make the antioxidant glutathione, which is an antioxidant that defends your body from free radicals and toxins. Cysteine is a nonessential amino acid, which means that your body can make it, but during times of extreme stress or during muscle building regimens, supplementing is helpful. In addition, cysteine regulates the nitric oxide cycle which supplies extra nutrients and oxygen to your cells as well as helps to carry away lactic acid and toxins, preventing soreness. Glutathione is important for protein, DNA, and prostaglandin synthesis, for repairing DNA, for transporting amino acids, and for activating enzymes.
Dietary Considerations about Whey
If you are allergic to casein, you are probably allergic to whey. If you are lactose intolerant, highly-hydrolysed whey is generally not as allergenic as other whey forms. Some whey labels say that they do not contain -lactoglobulin or beta-lactoglobulin, which is usually the casein that contains the most allergens.
Whey is unsuitable for vegans or strict vegetarians unless it does not contain rennet. Even though whey is a byproduct of making cheese, most cheese makers use rennet to curdle the cheese, and rennet is harvested from baby cows, or cattle. There are some cheese is makers who do not use rennet, which would be suitable for strict vegetarians.
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