Does Whey Protein Work

Whey protein, probably the first thing anyone starting to work out thinks of using, a lot of claims surround it, some more common than others, but what are they? Are they real? Does whey protein work? And if it does, the big question is HOW?

I am not going to lie, soon as I started taking working out seriously , I was advised to use a good source of whey, and that’s what got me started with BSN Syntha-6 which I still swear by until today.

Ever since I was young, I’ve always been told that: “Protein is used to promote growth and repair of the body” and that’s how I’ve always seen it, it was only much later in my academic learning that I found out about amino acids, their importance within a living creature and more importantly their role within muscle growth and repair. So in a nutshell, taking whey protein while working out is probably the BEST thing you can do.

Whey protein is derived from milk. Milk consists of two types of protein:

1. Whey
2. Casein

Both of which are used by athletes to increase the rate of muscle building, slow down the rate of muscle breakdown, and eventually improving the rate of recovery.

A lot of claims surround whey protein, and I plan to look into the main ones within this article for you.

Whey protein is absorbed a lot quicker within the body

Whey protein helps in the process of muscle growth

Whey protein helps speed recovery after a training session

Whey protein helps boost immunity

Whey protein can be used in the management of chronic disease

Above are the four most common claims surrounding whey protein, but before exploring them, I’d like to tell you a little about how it works.

There are two ways by which it works. The high concentration of Branch Chain Amino Acids more commonly known as BCAA’s are just like the ones found within the muscle which makes them ideal for your body for when it’s in repair and recovery mode, it’s like you you’re giving your muscles the building blocks which it needs to grow. What’s less commonly known is that whey protein also has a high concentration of immunoglobulin which act as cell mediators effectively telling the body increase the body’s immunity levels, but also promoting muscle growth.

Whey protein is also responsible for the reduction in the levels of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone, released during periods of physical stress. It is known to have a negative effect on muscle growth by increasing the rate of catabolism (muscle breakdown).

This is a huge problem for athletes since it limits the effectiveness of their training programmes by lowering potential gains in muscle.

Back to the previously mentioned claims regarding whey protein. Firstly, I’ll be discussing absorption.

It’s a true fact that whey protein is the fastest form of protein to absorbed within the body. Normally this wouldn’t make much of a difference until the discovery of the “recovery window” and understanding how crucial it is for those whom work out.

The recovery window is the period of time just after a training session where your muscles are depleted of nutrients it needs and would go to great lengths to replenish them. It’s during that period of time that the body is primed for growth and repair.

It’s because of the recovery window, the need for a rapidly absorbed form of protein couldn’t be any more crucial making whey protein the ideal source of a post-workout protein. Adding to that the high concentration of BCAA’s within protein just makes whey protein the perfect post-workout shake.

Does whey protein build muscle? I mean protein generally does, but whey protein is special, the high concentration of high quality BCAA’s provide the muscle with the basic building blocks it needs to grow. This is backed up by a lot of evidence which is referenced at the bottom of this article.

Now we established that whey protein builds muscle, now what type of muscle does it build? Is it functional muscle which would help you improve your performance or just an a plain increase in size? You’ll be please to hear that whey protein works on building and strengthening functional muscles meaning it will help improve your strength, allowing you to lift more, run faster, jump higher i.e. helps improve your sporting performance.

So now we know that whey protein helps build muscle and increases strength, but does it aid and speed up recovery from an intense workout? Firstly, I’d like to address why a good recovery is important. During the recovery period, they muscles are primed for growth and repair meaning it’s the time when you can gain muscles. However, a speedy recovery means that your body is ready for the following training session quicker meaning you can lift more, allowing you to progress and continue improving and getting closer to your goal. Simply put, whey protein is ideal for aiding recovery. We already discussed the absorption speed, the high concentrations of BCAA’s but what we haven’t mentioned yet is the ability of whey protein to act as a cell signaller on muscles damaged from a training session telling the body to produce more enzymes needed to build muscle.

Research into whey is still going strong exploring other benefits of it, as if the aforementioned isn’t enough, but it was found that the immunoglobulins within whey protein help the body increase it’s innate immunity by signalling the immune system to produce more white blood cells. Another use for whey protein currently being researched is it’s ability to fight chronic disease, but this research is still in it’s infancy, so watch this space.

Whey protein has no real side effects unless you are allergic to milk since whey protein is extracted from milk. However, whey protein MUST NOT REPLACE MEALS since that will be depriving the body from other crucial nutrients which is till needs for a healthy diet.

How much protein does your body need? That’s a HUGE question is the world of body building, the answer is that it’s unique to YOU and as a result we have devised a daily protein intake calculator which tells you how much protein you are recommended to take per day.

Overall, whey protein is a must if you want to make gains from your time training in the gym. One it’s own it’s good enough to see noticeable changes, but the results can be further enhanced by adding creatine to the mix too. Another way to enhance your results is by taking whey protein with carbohydrates since it’s been proven that it helps the muscles with the uptake of protein. The ideal ratio of protein to carbohydrates within a shake should be 2:1.

References:

1. Krissansen GW. Emerging Health Properties of Whey Proteins and Their Clinical
Implications. Jorn Amer. College of Nutrition 2007; 26 (6): 713S-723S

2. Burke DG, Chilibeck PD, Davidson KS, Candow DG, Farthing J, Smith-Palmer T. The
effect of whey protein supplementation with and without creatine monohydrate
combined with resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscle strength. Int J Sport
Nutr Exerc Metab. 2001; 11(3): 349-64

3. Davis JL. Whey + Creatine = More Muscle Strength. WebMD 2003.

4. Buckley JD, Thomson RL, Coates AM, Howe RC, DeNichilo MO, Rowney MK.
Supplementation with a whey protein hydrolysate enhances recovery of muscle forcegenerating
capacity following eccentric exercise. Journal of Sci and Med in Sport
2008;06:007

5. Rusu D, Drouin R, Pouliot Y, Gauthier S, Poubelle PE. A Bovine Whey Protein Extract
Can Enhance Innate Immunity by Priming Normal Human Blood Neutrophils. J Nutr
2009; 139 (2) 386-93

6. Cribb, P. J., Williams, A. D., Hayes, A. and Carey, F. (2002) The effect of whey isolate and resistance training on strength, body composition, and plasma glutamine. Medicine and science in Sports and Exercise. 34, S1688.

7. Lands, L. C., Grey, V. L. and Smountas, A. A. (1999) Effect of supplementation with a cysteine donor on muscular performance. Journal of Applied Physiology. 87, 1381-1385.

8. Levenhagen, D. K., Carr, C., Carlson, M. G., Maron, D. J., Borel, M. J. and Flakoll, P. J. (2002) Postexercise protein intake enhances whole body and leg protein accretion in humans. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 34, 828-837.

9. Markus, C. R., Olivier, B., Panhuysen, G. E. M., Gugten, J. V. D., Alles, M. S., Tuiten, A., Westenberg, H. G. M., Fekkes, D., Koppeschaar, H. F. and De Haan, E. E. H. F. (2000) The bovine protein alpha-lactalbumin increases the plasma ratio of tryptophan to the other large neutral amino acids, and in vulnerable subjects raises brain serotonin activity, reduces cortisol concentration, and improves mood under stress. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 71, 1536-1544..