Login or Register

The Best Protein Powder for Gaining Muscle

Jul 12, 2011 | By Ryan Haas
The Best Protein Powder for Gaining Muscle
Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images

Protein supplements account for billions of dollars in sales for the sports supplement industry every year, and there is a seemingly endless variety of choices available. Such a wide variety may make it difficult for you to decide what protein powder is best for you, but knowing which proteins have the highest quality will help you build muscle the fastest.

Protein Types

You may find protein powders available in a variety of types, including whey, casein and soy. While manufacturers may claim that their particular brand of protein is specially formulated to aid muscle growth, each type of protein receives a protein digestibility corrected amino acid score that you can easily compare. In 1989, the World Health Organization helped develop this scale as a way to rate proteins based upon the amino acid requirements of humans and a specific protein's digestibility. A value of 1 is the highest on this scale and 0 is the lowest. Whey protein is the highest ranked protein powder on this scale with a rating of 1, followed by casein and soy.

Whey Protein

Whey protein may be the highest quality of protein powder supplement you can find, but not all whey protein powders are the same. Basic whey protein powder may only contain 11 to 14.5 percent protein, while a majority of the supplement contains lactose and milk fat. You can also purchase whey protein in concentrate and isolate forms. These are filtered forms of whey protein that increase the amount of protein by volume to somewhere between 25 and 100 percent.

Casein Protein

Casein is the primary protein in milk, and in some cases it may be better for your muscle growth needs than whey protein is. Casein digests much slower than whey protein because the protein bonds together in your stomach. This may take seven hours or longer, giving your body a slow and steady release of amino acids. This can be useful if your body needs to go a long time without additional amino acids, such as when you are sleeping.

Quality Standards

Registered dietitian Sheri Barke notes that the FDA does not strictly enforce the quality of any product defined as a supplement, nor does it regulate the function claims manufacturers place on the labels. Barke suggests that you speak with your physician or a qualified nutrition expert to determine if the protein supplement you are planning to take will best suit your muscle gaining needs.

References

Article reviewed by Tad Cronn Last updated on: Jul 12, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries

Member Comments