Why does the body need protein?
Protein is an essential requirement for good health. It is made up of two types of amino acids: a) non-essential amino acids can usually be synthesized by a healthy body from the foods that we eat each day and b) essential amino acids which must be obtained directly through the daily diet. Protein has several key roles in the body, including:
- Synthesizes immunoglobulins for a healthy immune system
- Builds and repairs muscles, bones and all body cells
- Regulates many important metabolic processes in the body
What is Quantum
Whey Protein?
Whey protein is a highly nutritious protein if separated from high quality dairy milk. Milk contains two primary proteins: casein and whey protein. When cheese is produced, the liquid whey separates from the 'curd' or casein. The whey proteins are then separated from the liquid whey and purified to various concentrations of whey protein. The graphs below show the percentages in the composition of milk.
Are all whey proteins the same?
Of course not. If you extract whey protein from the milk of sick, commercially fed cows, then you' 11 get "sick" whey protein (because it will still contain pesticide or other toxic residues, etc.) The key is a great quality source of milk. For superior whey, the milk must be taken from cows which are healthy. Secondly, the processing of the whey is equally important. Most commercial whey is rapidly processed using high heat which damages the healing factors. In contrast, Quantum
Whey Protein is made using ion exchange without damaging the protein structure.
How does whey protein compare to other protein sources?
When whey protein is obtained from a high quality source, it is an excellent source of complete protein containing all of the essential amino acids required by the body every day. Quality whey protein has been proven to be an excellent, pure source of protein.
Highly Digestible - whey protein has a Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of 1.14. The reported score is 1.0, which is the maximum value allowed by the USDA for reporting purposes. The PDCAAS is the USDA's officially approved method of scoring protein quality.
Full Complement of Protein - Another method used to measure protein quality is the Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER). whey protein has a PER of 3.2, making it one of the highest single source proteins. The PER rating is based upon the evaluation of the growth of animals consuming a fixed amount of dietary protein from a single source. As the PER increases, so does the quality of the protein.
Highly Absorbed Protein - Biological Value (BV), another measure of protein quality, measures the amount of protein that is retained from the absorbed protein for maintenance and growth. It measures the fraction of the nitrogen in the diet that remains after the nitrogen losses in the waste products have been subtracted. whey protein has a biological value of 100, which is a higher value than for casein (milk protein), soy protein, beef or wheat gluten
Should a person with lactose intolerance and/or milk allergies avoid whey protein?
whey protein, at a concentration of 80%, contains only 5-6% lactose. This low level of lactose can usually be well tolerated by individuals with lactose intolerance. If a person is allergic to milk protein (less than 1 % of the population), it is important to know if the allergic reaction is caused by the milk's casein (the most common allergy) or whey, or both. Often, an allergy to casein does not include allergy to whey.
In addition, some so-called milk allergies are really toxic reactions to pesticides, antibiotic residues or synthetic hormones contained in commercially produced milk (and passed along in the whey). When some of these individuals were tested on non-toxic, pesticide-free whey, no reaction was incurred. However, if you are lactose-intolerant or allergic to milk protein, it it may be best to avoid this product unless otherwise directed by your healthcare practitioner.
What factors are found in whey protein?
whey protein is not a single protein but consists of several individual protein components. Recent new technology has enabled manufacturers to isolate and further purify some of these individual components. The following is a list of key individual components in whey protein:
- Beta-lactoglobulin
- Glycomacropeptide (GMP)
- Alpha-lactalbumin
- Lactoferrin
- Immunoglobulins
- Lactoperoxidase
- Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)
- Lysozyme
Your Cart
