Whey Protein: The Complete Protein for Everyone

What is Whey Protein?
It is a high quality protein derived from milk. It is a complete protein with all the essential amino acids and is an exceptional source of branch chain amino acids (BCAAs).

Scientifically speaking, whey is a complex protein made up of many smaller protein sub fractions (peptides) such as: immunoglobulins (IgGs), glycomacropeptides, alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and minor peptides such as lactoperoxidases, lysozyme and lactoferrin. Each sub fraction (sometimes referred to as protein fractions) has its own unique effects on health, immunity, etc. Most of the health benefits that whey protein provides are due to these sub fractions.

How is it Produced?
Milk is made of two proteins – whey and casein. Sweet dairy whey is a by-product of cheese manufacturing. The sweet dairy whey is then filtered to remove fat and lactose (milk sugar). What’s left behind is a concentrated whey protein (hence the name, whey protein concentrate) in liquid form. The liquid is then dried into powder form. The process is more complicated then that but you get the general idea.

How Does It Compare to Other Proteins?
There are several different methods used to evaluate the quality of proteins. Whey protein scores the highest for every method. Those methods include:

Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS): This measures protein quality based on amino acid requirements of the human body. Whey protein scores the highest with a 1.15

Biological Value (BV): One of the oldest methods for determining protein quality. It basically tells you the percentage of protein that your body has absorbed from the amount of protein you ingested. The higher the score, the more protein you ingested actually remains in your body to promote protein synthesis. Before whey came along egg protein had the highest BV score of 100. Whey proteins have BV scores ranging from 104 – 157!

Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER): This measures the ability of a protein to support growth. Whey scores the highest with a 3.6

Protein Digestibility (PD): This measures the fraction of the dietary protein that is absorbed from the diet. Whey again scores the highest with a 98.

Net Protein Utilization (NPU): This is the ratio of amino acids converted into proteins compared to the ratio of amino acids supplied during the day. Whey protein scores the highest with a 92.

Don’t get too hung up on these methods or the scores. Just know that if you’re doing research on proteins, you’ll come across these methods and their various scores. Many supplement companies will also highlight these scores on the labels of their whey protein products. The important point is that whey is the highest quality protein regardless of what method is used. As you shop around for a high quality whey protein supplement, don’t concern yourself with any scores. Pay attention to the ingredients instead. For example, what types of whey protein is used? Are there unwanted ingredients such as artificial flavors and sweeteners? With any supplements, you always want quality brands without unnecessary ingredients.

Types of Whey Protein
Just when you thought you had all your proteins figured out, you find out that there is more than just one type of whey protein! Don't worry, it's not too complicated. There are three different types. They are whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and hydrolyzed whey protein.

Whey protein concentrate is the most commonly used source of protein and also the most economical. Hydrolyzed whey protein is the least common and most expensive (a protein typically used by serious bodybuilders and other hardcore athletes). Whey protein isolates are somewhere in the middle.

A final note on whey protein…
While whey protein is a great protein, you want to get your protein from a variety of sources throughout the day so don’t forget about egg, soy, caseins and milk proteins! By getting protein from a variety of sources, you will get a wider amino acid spectrum and you will supply your body with a steady supply of amino acids.

Other whey protein related pages:

Whey Protein Concentrate
Whey Protein Isolate
Hydrolyzed Whey Protein
Benefits of Whey Protein
Whey Protein Side Effects
Whey Protein Articles
Whey Protein Reviews & Recommendations