Nutritionists from the University of California recently conducted a survey on whey protein. In the survey, they found that: in the past 10 years, whey protein products have developed most rapidly in the sports nutrition market. From the beginning, they were single The whey protein powder has developed to the current three series of whey protein bars, whey protein granules and whey protein gel with more than 100 varieties. At the same time, academic articles on the production, processing, and functional activity of whey protein have also doubled. Among them, the research results directly related to sports training mainly include: whey protein can help athletes maintain better competitive conditions, accelerate Fatigue recovery after exercise. Based on various information, they believe that whey protein is the most suitable protein raw material for manufacturing sports nutrition products, and whey protein is the most suitable protein for athletes.
1. Whey protein is the most suitable protein raw material for manufacturing sports nutrition products
Compared with other types of high-quality protein, whey protein production technology has developed the fastest. At present, manufacturers have developed many types of whey proteins, and the representative ones include the following: "WPCS" whey protein concentrate, "WPIS" whey protein isolate, and EWPFS (enhanced whey protein). "WPCS" whey protein concentrate includes WPC34 (that is, whey protein purity reaches 34%), WPC50, and WPC80; "WPIS" whey protein isolate generally has a higher concentration, and the two common types are WPI80 and WPI90. These products are very easily digestible proteins with high biological value and can be used to make protein bars and protein powders. Among them, WPC80 is the most widely used. Because WPC80 has stable quality, the best comprehensive physical and chemical indicators, and is easy to prepare, WPC80 has become the mainstream raw material in whey protein. The production cost of WPI type whey protein is relatively high and is only used when producing certain products with special requirements. Compared with WPC80, the advantage is not great. The protein selected for American Champion Sports Nutrition Food is WPC80.
2. Whey protein is the most suitable protein for athletes
In order to maintain good health and meet the human body’s basic needs for protein, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends that you need to ensure a supply of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight throughout the day. But when it comes to a specific person, due to his or her different lifestyle, physical condition, age, and gender, this recommended amount is difficult to grasp. Especially for athletes, due to their different exercise methods, exercise time, and exercise intensity, their protein requirements vary greatly, making this recommended amount even less practical.. Therefore, some sports nutritionists recommend arranging protein foods for a day based on a protein intake of 1.5g/kg. Theoretically, it can basically meet the requirements of athletes and ensure that protein metabolism in the athletes' bodies is in a normal and balanced state. However, in practice, for some strength athletes such as weightlifting, wrestling, and bodybuilding, only increasing the protein intake to 2g/kg can barely maintain a positive nitrogen balance in these athletes' bodies. At the same time, a new problem has arisen. While consuming so much protein, a large amount of fat and cholesterol also enter the human body, which has also brought many negative effects to athletes. Further research found that only 40% of some low-quality proteins can be utilized by the human body, while the utilization rate of the same amount of whey protein can be as high as 70% (there is no protein that can be 100% utilized by the human body). It can be seen that only by choosing high-quality protein can athletes improve protein utilization and avoid the harm caused by inferior protein to the human body. That is to say, the effect of taking high-quality protein at 1.5g/kg is better than taking low-quality protein at 2g/kg.
In recent years, studies on the use of whey protein in sports have found that the advantages of whey protein are not only to maintain positive nitrogen balance for athletes, but also have some other advantages that are very suitable for sports needs compared with other types of proteins. Functions: ⑴ Whey protein is rich in bioactive calcium, which can reduce fractures during exercise and prevent bone calcium loss; ⑵ Whey protein is rich in glutamine, which can accelerate muscle glycogen resynthesis after exercise and prevent excessive exercise. Immune function declines afterwards. ⑶Whey protein has certain anti-fatigue effects. The reason is that whey protein contains cysteine and methionine that can fight free radicals; (4) Whey protein has a certain effect in promoting the secretion of endogenous growth hormone in the human body. Taking whey protein can quickly grow muscles and reduce body fat. Research on the effects of whey protein on exercise training continues.
At the end of this survey report, nutritionists fully affirmed the dominant position of whey protein in protein products and predicted that whey protein products may be further developed according to different requirements in sports. Whey protein varieties will be more refined. For example, whey protein for recovery, whey protein for muscle building, whey protein for anti-fatigue, etc. By then, athletes will have a wider range of options to choose from.