Chad Hamilton said:
Yep
When compared to concentrates, you are correct.
Concentrates are shit...inferior forms of protein and no longer a whole food product.
It's been heated, cooked, otherwise known as denatured.
So I'll let someone else go off on that point.
Chad,
It seems that you are a big promoter of whey isolates (WPIs), and that is both fine and justified. However, concentrates (WPCs) are not as bad as you seem to be portraying. The only difference between the two is that a WPI contains, by mass, 90% or more protein; whereas, WPCs contain between 80-89.99%. Yes, the extraction processes often differ slightly, but in truth, WPIs are more refined and hence, they are more subject to denaturation.
This brings up another point. Too many people synonymously use "denatured" and "useless" when referring to proteins. This is simply untrue. Denaturating of protein merely entails a change in the tertiary structure of the molecule. Mildly denaturing a protein can actually
increase bioavailability in some scenarios (e.g. cooked vs. uncooked egg whites).
Are isolates and hydrolysates more suitable for post-workout application? Yes, particularly hydrolysates, which require minimal-to-no pepsin and protease exposure. The only reason why WPIs are slightly more readily assimilated than WPCs is that there is less "junk" in the powder to get in the way. Keep in mind that you may be paying 1.5x as much for a 90% WPI than an 89% WPC. In terms of digestion, assimilation, and amino uptake, WPIs and WPCs vary minimally. However, hydrolysates are very rapidly absorbed. For a PWO drink, hydros are the clear winner.
Nonetheless, most any animal-source protein is going to be a good investment, so long as it comes from a reputable company and is used consistently as part of an effective diet/training regimen.
