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There are so many different types of protein on the market, and you may be wondering which one is best. From milk based to plant based, we’ll cover what you need to know.
What are protein drinks and WHY DO PEOPLE CONSUME them?
Protein drinks (or shakes) are beverages that typically have powdered proteins from either an animal or plant source. They are used popularly for muscle growth. Protein drinks can also be used for individuals who are ill and losing weight, and may want to preserve muscle mass. Protein drinks can also be used to gain weight – whether that’s through muscle gain or regular ol’ weight gain.
Many protein drinks also consist of vitamins and minerals. Depending on the type you buy and consume, there may be more specified vitamins and minerals for injury, or wound recovery. Having worked in a hospital, our founder, Alexa, has worked with many patients in offering differing protein supplements depending on their medical condition.
Casein protein
Casein protein is the other major protein found in milk. When I looked up casein protein and muscle growth, not much came up. What I did find was that whey protein is better than casein protein for muscle growth (13), and combined milk protein (casein + whey) is also good for muscle growth. What is interesting, is that casein is absorbed more slowly than whey protein (12). This can be beneficial in recovery, as it has been hypothesized that consuming protein throughout the day vs all at once is better for lean body mass increases (14). Though depending on the subjects, results differed. More research is needed.
whey protein
Whey protein is one of the main proteins in milk, and is found in the watery part of milk. In protein supplement form, you’ll usually find it flavoured – like chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry.
Whey protein consists of high levels of branched chain amino acids, or BCAAs (4). BCAAs have been posited as important for muscle growth, and you can read more about them here.
In a study looking at overweight women, the group that consumed 40g of whey protein concentrate per day for 8 weeks (consisting of 160 calories, 25g of protein and BCAAs) decreased the amount of android fat (fat distribution around the trunk) they had (1). Whereas the group consuming hydrolysed collagen at 38g per day for 8 weeks (consisting of 144 calories and 26g protein) had an increase in BMI with no other noted changes.
What?!
Other studies show similar results with whey protein (2, 3), whether or not a calorie restriction was used.
The results are attributed to the high quality nature of whey protein, consisting of BCAAs which can help one to feel full (7), and attenuate lean body mass loses.
Whey protein has been shown in increase muscle mass combined with resistance training (5, 6), but did not increase strength scores.
soy protein
Soy is considered a complete protein, which means it has all of the essential amino acids we have to get from food in order to be healthy. Soy protein comes from soybeans. Soy protein intake has been associated with weight loss and better blood lipid values when compared to milk consumption (8). It has been suggested that choosing soy protein over non-soy protein is obsolete in weight loss and muscle maintenance (9).
Soy protein can increase muscle mass, but not in the same way that whey protein would (11). There is quite a bit of research on the cancer fighting benefits, cardiovascular evidence, and high-quality protein benefits of soy (10). This makes it a great alternative protein supplement for those wishing to consume less animal products.
*with plant protein, it is still protein, so if you exercise and consume protein, you will likely have some kind of muscle growth with adequate calorie consumption for muscle growth
pea protein
Pea protein comes form the yellow split pea. This is also a great plant based alternative protein powder. Studies have shown an increase in muscle mass (15, 16). There is limited research available and more needs to be done.
rice protein
Rice protein is made from brown rice. There is also limited research available, but one study showed that over 8 weeks both groups of rice protein or whey protein intake resulted in similar muscle and exercise performance gains (17).
collagen
Collagen is a protein essential for connective tissue in the body. From the whey section, we saw that even though subjects were supplemented with less calories of collagen, they had more weight gain (1) (this study did not use any exercise). Collagen research is mostly limited to connective tissue structure and skin health, but I found a little bit on muscle growth. Resistance training + collagen supplementation in males increase strength performance and fat free mass (18).
So what is the best protein drink?
Whey leads in way in evidence regarding weight loss and increases in muscle mass. My favourite plant based protein source is pea, I find it easy on digestion, and a lot of different brands have a pleasant smell. Collagen may be helpful in increasing fat free mass and performance, but is best used for connective tissue wellbeing.
Muscle growth happens (nutritionally) when you consume and do things that stimulate growth. Exercising and using weights can create muscle tears, and to recover, consuming protein (and adequate calories) will help the muscle to rebuild bigger.
My favourite is the Four Sigmatic Pea Protein. I like it’s taste and texture, and find it blends well. 1 scoop = 18g protein. I eat mostly plant based and try to choose products that do not have a ton of animal products when I am able to.
References:
(1) Giglio, Bruna M., et al. “Whey protein supplementation compared to collagen increases blood nesfatin concentrations and decreases android fat in overweight women: a randomized double-blind study.” Nutrients 11.9 (2019): 2051.
(2) Frestedt, Joy L., et al. “A whey-protein supplement increases fat loss and spares lean muscle in obese subjects: a randomized human clinical study.” Nutrition & metabolism 5.1 (2008): 1-7.
(3) Baer, David J., et al. “Whey protein but not soy protein supplementation alters body weight and composition in free-living overweight and obese adults.” The Journal of nutrition 141.8 (2011): 1489-1494.
(4) Hoffman, Jay R., and Michael J. Falvo. “Protein–which is best?.” Journal of sports science & medicine 3.3 (2004): 118.
(5) Duarte, Nuno M., et al. “Intake of whey isolate supplement and muscle mass gains in young healthy adults when combined with resistance training: a blinded randomized clinical trial (pilot study).” The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness 60.1 (2019): 75-84.
(6) Reidy, Paul T., et al. “Protein supplementation has minimal effects on muscle adaptations during resistance exercise training in young men: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.” The Journal of nutrition 146.9 (2016): 1660-1669.
(7) Chungchunlam, S. M. S., et al. “Dietary whey protein influences plasma satiety-related hormones and plasma amino acids in normal-weight adult women.” European journal of clinical nutrition 69.2 (2015): 179-186.
(8) Velasquez, Manuel T., and Sam J. Bhathena. “Role of dietary soy protein in obesity.” International journal of medical sciences 4.2 (2007): 72.
(9) Beavers, Kristen M., et al. “Effect of protein source during weight loss on body composition, cardiometabolic risk and physical performance in abdominally obese, older adults: a pilot feeding study.” The journal of nutrition, health & aging 19.1 (2015): 87-95.
(10) Montgomery, Kristen S. “Soy protein.” The Journal of perinatal education 12.3 (2003): 42-45.
(11) Khairallah, Ramzi J., et al. “Chronic dietary supplementation with soy protein improves muscle function in rats.” PloS one 12.12 (2017): e0189246.
(12) Kanda, Atsushi, et al. “Effects of whey, caseinate, or milk protein ingestion on muscle protein synthesis after exercise.” Nutrients 8.6 (2016): 339.
(13) Wilborn, Colin D., et al. “The effects of pre-and post-exercise whey vs. casein protein consumption on body composition and performance measures in collegiate female athletes.” Journal of sports science & medicine 12.1 (2013): 74.
(14) Schoenfeld, Brad Jon, and Alan Albert Aragon. “How much protein can the body use in a single meal for muscle-building? Implications for daily protein distribution.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 15.1 (2018): 10.
(15) Jia, Shaohui, et al. “Pea Peptide Supplementation in Conjunction With Resistance Exercise Promotes Gains in Muscle Mass and Strength.” Frontiers in Nutrition 9 (2022).
(16) Alonso, Ruben, et al. “Muscle and liver protein metabolism in rats fed raw or heat-treated pea seeds.” The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 13.10 (2002): 611-618.
(17) Joy, Jordan M., et al. “The effects of 8 weeks of whey or rice protein supplementation on body composition and exercise performance.” Nutrition journal 12.1 (2013): 1-7.
(18) Oertzen-Hagemann, Vanessa, et al. “Effects of 12 weeks of hypertrophy resistance exercise training combined with collagen peptide supplementation on the skeletal muscle proteome in recreationally active men.” Nutrients 11.5 (2019): 1072.
