Fitness and Nutrition Facts for a common man 4 - What is Whey Protein ?

                                   What is Whey Protein ?

This is my 4th blogpost, yet I can't believe I started what I never dreamt of and that I am consistent in writing them up every week. I wrote on 1. Myths on Protein (link) 2.Benefits of Protein (link) 3. BCAA's (link) but the amazing thing is that even though I busted some of the myths of proteins and showed the benefits of proteins and even BCAA's, I never told anyone what Whey Protein is!! Just a week back one of my friend, who is a fellow blogger and write's some crazy stuff about android (droidgyaan) who geared me for writing this blog last week, he tells me that it is time for you to change your cell phone and I replied, “No man, I am on cost cutting as I just bought a 10lbs Whey protein for 10,000rupees (100.7£) (167 US$).” Being a "Technogeek", he tells me that I could've bought a Nexus 5 or even a costlier phone. Well after the big argument we had on spending so much money, he then asked me what kind of protein it is. I said obviously it is ‘Whey’ protein and astonishingly he asked me, “What is whey? I've heard that there is something like Whey protein.” That’s it! There was the Inspiration for my next blogpost. What is WHEY PROTEIN? Although this was not the

Take care of it , you owe yourself this
much!

first time that someone had asked me what whey protein is but the way he spoke so negatively about spending money on WHEY protein made me want to scare the hell out of him if he didn't exercise and lose all the fats he carries with him everywhere (LITERALLY SPEAKING) ;) . Being fat is not a crime and I am not trying to hurt anyone's feeling over here because these posts and the initiative of "inspiring you" are to enlighten people like my friend who are scared using sports supplements for their better health and fitness. As I mentioned before that being fat is not a crime "but being fat and doing nothing about it is a crime, to your own self". 


So , What is Whey protein ?

Milk is made of two proteins, casein and whey. Whey protein can be separated from the casein in milk or formed as a by-product of cheese making.

Whey protein is considered a complete protein and contains all 9 essential amino acids and is low in lactose content.

Composition and Forms of whey Protein :

Composition- Whey protein is a mixture of the following:

• Beta-lactoglobulin - Most stable fraction but also the most allergenic
• Alpha-Lactalbumin- Contains large amount of essential and conditionally essential amino acids.
• Glycomacropeptides - Biologically active proteins with positive effect on the digestive system, antiviral activity, improved calcium absorption and enhanced immune function
• Immunoglobulins- Anti bodies (immune boosting)
• Lactoferrin- Has anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-cancer and immune modulating/enhancing effects. 
• Bovine Serum Albumin, etc.

 There are three primary types of whey protein : whey protein concentrate (WPC), whey protein isolate (WPI), and whey protein hydrolysate (WPH): 

• Whey protein concentrate - WPC contains low levels of fat and low levels of carbohydrates (lactose).
  
  The percentage of protein in WPC depends on how concentrated it is. Lower end concentrates tend to have 30% protein and higher end up to 90%.
• Whey protein isolate - WPIs are further processed to remove all the fat and lactose. WPI is usually at least 90% protein.
•  Whey protein hydrolysate - WPH is considered to be the "predigested" form of whey protein as it has already undergone partial hydrolysis - a process necessary for the body to absorb protein.

WPH doesn't require as much digestion as the other two forms of whey protein. In addition, it is commonly used in medical protein supplements and infant formulas because of it's improved digestibility and reduced allergen potential.

Extraction and Purification of Whey :

1. Most whey proteins are as a by-product of cottage cheese(paneer) production. When milk is treated to cause a shift in pH till 4.6 , the casein coagulates and separates, and the raw whey is left uncurdled on top of the casein.
2. It is then collected and undergoes various processing steps, and these processing steps are what determine the quality of the whey protein end product.
3. During the processing, fat and lactose are filtered out to make a lower far, lower carbs, and higher concentrated protein powder. During filtration, low molecular weight compounds like lactose , minerals, and vitamins are removed , and the protein becomes concentrated.

Separating the whey sub fractions on a large scale was earlier either impossible or too expensive for anything but research purpose. Modern filtering technology has improved dramatically in the past decade, allowing companies to separate some of the highly bioactive peptides, such a Lactoferrin and Lactoperoxidase from why that are only found in very minute amounts (e.g. <1%) in cows milk.

So therefore you'll always find that whey protein Isolates are always
costlier then the Whey protein concentrated.

An array of processing techniques may be used by manufacturers in attempt to make higher quality whey proteins with higher proportion of specific sub fractions; such as Cross Flow Microfiltration(CFM) , Ultra filtration (UF), Microfiltraion (MF), Ion-exchange Chromatography (IEC), Reverse Osmosis (RO), Dynamic Membrane Filtration (DMF)< Electro-Ultra filtration (EU), Radical Flow Chromatography (RFC) and Nano filtration (NF).




Some of the best, basic, and common whey protein purification are Ion-exchange, Microfiltration or Ultrafiltration, and Cross Flow Mirofiltration.


Benefits of Whey Protein :

First we will go through some extensive scientific research based benefits in medical conditions.

The possible health benefits of consuming whey protein include:

• Anti-cancer properties - Promising results were published in the journal Anticancer Research for the use of whey protein concentrate (WPC) and glutathione modulation in cancer treatment.⁵
• High cholesterol - according to a study published in The British Journal of Nutrition, "there was a significant decrease in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol at week 12 in the whey group compared with the casein (group)".⁶
• Asthma - whey protein could improve immune response in children with asthma. One study, published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, found that children with asthma who were supplemented with whey for one month had an improved cytokine response.⁷
• Lowering blood pressure and reducing risk of cardiovascular disease - research published in the International Dairy Journal found that beverages that were supplemented with whey protein significantly reduced blood pressure in patients with hypertension, their risk of developing heart disease or stroke was also lower.

Other benefits of Whey :

1. A superior anabolic protein - Whey protein dissolves well in liquid and its very quickly absorbed and digested. This is the primary benefit of bodybuilders. It rapidly enters the bloodstream and reaches muscles faster than other protein sources, supporting faster muscle tissue growth.
2. Highest Protein Quality rating - It has the highest Biological Value (BV) of (104) PDCAAS (greater than 1.0) due to its complete amino acid profile and high digestibility. It is best absorbed and utilized by muscle tissue for growth.
3. Richest source of BCAA's - It contains the highest concentration of Branched Chained Amino Acids; Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine available from any natural food protein source.
4. Boosts Immune system - Whey has immune-boosting properties due to its immune-boosting sub fractions; GMP's, immunoglobulins and lactoferrin. It also increases intracellular concentration of glutathione, which is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system(such as for cellular lymphocyte activity).
5. Growth Factors- It also contains many growth factors such as the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) that support muscle growth. 
6. Calcium - Whey contains some calcium derived from milk, which is highly bioavailable and can reduce stress fractures and prevent bone loss especially in females.
7. Anti-oxidant - One of the Whey's major effects is its apparent ability to raise glutathione (GSH), a tri-peptide made up of the amino acids L-cysteine, L-glutamine and glycine and the most important endogenous water-soluble antioxidant. Whey increases GSH in many ways. One basic effect is supply of cycteine, the main source of free sulfhydryl group of GSH and a limiting factor in GSH synthesis.
8. Reduced GSH is also associated with over training syndrome (OTS) in athletes, so whey may very well have an application in preventing , or at least mitigating, OTS.
9. Due to essential function of GSH in immunity, fighting oxidative stress, and general well being, reduced levels of GSH are associated with a long lists of diseases, This reason is big enough for WHEY to be given a place in anyone's nutrition program. 

It started in 400BC to a staggering 6.4 Billion $$$$$$ in 2014.

Side effects :

Some people who are allergic to milk may be specifically allergic to whey.

In moderate doses whey protein doesn't generally cause any adverse events.

However, consuming severely high doses can cause:

• Stomach pains
• Cramps
• Reduced appetite
• Nausea
• Headache
• Fatigue

Well, my faithful "fitspires"(what I call my reader's and fitness freaks) my next post's is a mystery to me also , I don't know where would I find such an inspiration to write "maybe I just have to keep my eyes and my ears open and I will be back with a topic" :D. If you have any doubts or comments to make you know what to do :) . Till next time and always  WAKE . RUN . LIFT . EAT . SLEEP. REPEAT AND INSPIRE!!