What is Whey Protein Isolate?
Last week I got an email from someone who was confused about what whey protein isolate was, so I thought I’d post up a quick definition to clear up some confusion. Before I post it up I just want to point out that there are 3 main types of whey protein. These are whey protein blends, whey protein isolate, and when protein concentrate. What protein you decided to use depends on your budget and goals.
What is whey protein isolate (WPI)?
Whey protein isolate is the most pure form of whey protein available. It’s microfiltered over and over again until it’s almost pure protein. Whey protein isolate is typically 90-90% pure protein! Not only is it almost pure protein, but it has the highest amount of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) out of all the whey protein varieties. This makes it the best protein source for both muscle building and fat loss.
On top of the protein and BCAA benefits of whey protein isolate, because of its pureity, it also has the lowest levels of fat and lactose out of all the whey protein varieties.
Sounds like your choice for a protein product is easy, whey protein isolate all the way! But like all good things, there is a downside. It is more expensive that regular whey protein concentrate. So is the extra cost worth it? That’s only for you to decide. Personally, for weight gain I don’t think it is. However if you goal is to increase your metabolism and lose weight, then i recommend it.
Is whey protein the best for immediately after workout? The muscle milk which I love, seems to be very slow digesting and probably better before bed time. What else should I take post workout?