nutritionIs hydrolysed protein good or not so good?
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I see whey powders are more frequently being touted as having hydrolysed protein in them. I know that it is easier to digest so good after my workout, but isn't it a cheaper inferior source of protein and more likely to make my insulin and blood sugar less stable?
By paddy maloney – over 2 years ago
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The effect of this is that it takes your digestive system less time and energy to break down the protein and absorb it into the bloodstream.
This is important because the number one stimulator of protein synthesis (muscle building) is the concentration of amino acids in your bloodstream.
The "cheaper" protein you are referring to is "hydrolyzed protein", which is a name often used to describe hydrolyzed collagen. Hydrolyzed collagen is a cheap and "incomplete" protein derived from the joint tissue of cows and other animals (basically the leftovers from the slaughterhouse floor). The description "incomplete" refers to the fact that it doesn't contain all of the essential amino acids required by the body in the diet to build muscle and therefore must be combined with other proteins or amino acids to provide the full complement of amino acids for the muscle-building process.
This is in stark contrast to hydrolyzed "whey" protein, which is not only a complete protein but is the fastest-absorbed source of protein available (and also possessing the most anabolic amino acid profile).
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Nutritionist and Supplement Specialist
As you have noted, hydrolyzed whey protein is the best protein to have after training and it also has a more dramatic effect on stimulating insulin release, which decreases muscle protein breakdown. Unless you have an insulin-related health issue (like diabetes), don't worry about using hydrolyzed whey protein for post- (and/or pre-) workout.
You are correct that Hydrolyzed whey protein is probably most useful either pre-workout (15 to 90 minutes before training) or immediately post-workout. At other times, regular whey protein (or a combination protein - egg, casein, milk protein, etc) is probably more than adequate.
So "hydrolyzed" refers to a processing method and not the protein quality of a particular source (whey, casein, soy, collagen, egg, etc).
Nutritionist and Supplement Specialist
Apart from that Mark I haven't seen hydrolyzed protein in to many formulas?
In terms of destabilising insulin and blood sugars, surely this is dependent on other products contained within the drink that contains the hydrolysed protein. If your just drinking a straight shake of hydrolysed protein, this certainly shouldnt destabilise things. If your consuming hydrolysed proteins with high GI carbs, then I guess this potentially would.
Health and Fitness Doctor
the number of products using hydrolysed whey has certainly increased but maybe its more prevalant in uk formulas?
For bodybuilders this is extremely important because strong muscles and weak joints equal joint injuries because the joint can't handle the increased torque from the strong muscle. Collagen shouldn't be taken as a way to build muscle, but instead in addition to a good quality whey protein to protect against injury. How many times have you heard of a bodybuilder ripping their muscle off the bone and having it curl up inside them? They probably neglected their joints and didn't take hydrolyzed collagen for support.
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Certainly, collagen isn’t a “cheaper” form of protein…it is a protein targeted for a different purpose than a broad based whey, egg, hemp, etc protein.
Generally collagen should not be taken with other proteins, but because, as you noted, a whey isolate almost instantly absorbs into the blood stream, collagen can be combined with it because the digestion times are different. When taking them both post-workout a person would get the muscle building benefit of the whey, plus the added benefit of the collagen for joint support.
To my knowledge, there is only one product that does that on the market. It is made by NeoCell called Collagen Sport. However, NeoCell also makes a powdered collagen that could be mixed into a whey isolate if someone wanted to. I’m a judo instructor and fitness competitor with my fair share of joint injuries. Collagen has really helped me recover from old injuries and I haven’t been injured since!
The VAST majority of hydrolysed collagen is not added to products for anything to do with joint support and I am familiar with the science in this regard and indeed, there are products that include it for this purpose but they represent a tiny fraction of the sales.
I wasn't aware that the skin is a more substantial source of collagen and I know of the "skin ageing" claims. Is there actual research on this? My impression is that the research is very weak but it may have changed...that's not my forte??
Nutritionist and Supplement Specialist