Saturday, 25 June 2016
Wednesday, 22 June 2016
5 Reasons Why Pea Protein is the Perfect Choice for Bodybuilders
Pea protein is the recent protein to take the center stage in the world of sports nutrition, thanks to a published study in 2015 that found pea protein to promote similar increase in muscle thickness as whey protein. That should provide a good reason for you to include pea protein in your protein supplements, especially if you are a bodybuilder. But that is only one of many reasons. Pea protein has many benefits that bodybuilders like yourself should know.
1. Pea protein is rich in protein
Unlike many plant based proteins that contain less than 60% protein, pea protein powder contains approximately 80-85% protein. This is about the same amount found in a high quality whey protein powder.
2. Pea protein is rich in amino acid arginine
Pea protein powder is an excellent source of arginine, the amino acid your body uses to build muscles. In fact, you'll get more arginine from pea protein than any other protein sources. Arginine is known as a growth hormone releaser and as a precursor to nitric oxide production to assist muscle growth. Because arginine is a conditionally essential amino acid, during times of stress and illness, your body may not produce enough of this amino acid and dietary supplementation may be required.
3. Pea protein is high in BCAA
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) such as leucine, isoleucine and valine are essential for muscle growth and are found in abundance in whey protein. But the good news is that high quality pea protein also contains high levels of branched-chain amino acids (18% BCAAs) that is comparable to whey protein (19% BCAAs).
4. Pea protein is rich in amino acid glutamine
Glutamine is an amino acid that helps reduce muscle breakdown and promote muscle protein synthesis. In fact, glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in your muscles -over 60% of your muscles are made up of glutamine. Pea protein contains 67% more glutamine than whey protein.
5. Pea protein is easy on your stomach
Drinking whey, casein, egg or even soy protein daily for prolonged period of time may lead to the development of allergy. When allergic reaction occurs, you may experience symptoms such as itchiness, red rashes, swollen lips, or wheezing. This is caused by your body being allergic to certain proteins found in these drink. Pea protein, on the other hand, does not contain any allergenic proteins or other allergens, making it one of the safest protein sources. Unlike whey or casein, pea protein does not contain lactose, and that spares you from developing stomach discomfort, bloating, diarrhea and flatulence.
Sunday, 5 June 2016
Pea Protein VS Whey Protein
Which is Better? Pea or Whey
If you're into bodybuilding, chances are that you are well familiar with protein sources from the likes of whey, casein, eggs and soy. But pea? Probably not much. It is not surprising since whey protein had dominated the market for protein supplements for over 20 years since it was first made popular in the late 90’s. It is also because alternatives to whey are lacking since there hasn’t been a protein supplement that came close to whey. But it looks like things are about to change.
Recently, pea protein seems to have stolen
the limelight of whey protein. There are increasing reviews that praise the
wonders of pea protein in promoting muscle growth and burning fat. Celebrity
dietitian, Cynthia Sass, quoted pea protein as the hottest new muscle builder
in one of her articles in Shape. But how exactly is it that pea protein, which was
almost unheard of in the past suddenly become the rising star in protein
supplements in less than a year?
The pea protein craze came about in 2015 after a study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition by a group of French researchers. The study found that pea protein is similar to whey when it comes to increasing bicep muscle thickness. The study, which ran for a period of 12 weeks found that men given pea protein experienced similar increase in bicep muscle thickness to men given whey protein, which led the researchers to suggest that pea protein could be the new comparable alternative to whey. But whey protein has always been touted as the leader in protein supplements. How is it that pea protein ended-up standing shoulder-to-shoulder with whey?
We all know pea is packed with protein. But pea protein has several advantages over whey when it comes to price, protein content and the types of amino acids. Whey protein concentrate usually contains about 80% protein, while pea protein isolate contains 85% protein - about 5% more protein than whey. Not bad. But that's not all.
Pea protein contains 4.7 times the amount of arginine in whey (8.7% in pea versus 1.9% in whey). Arginine is the amino acid responsible for increasing blood flow to the muscle and promote protein synthesis. The glutamine content in pea protein is about 67% higher than whey protein concentrate. Glutamine is the amino acid responsible for preventing your muscle from breaking down due to stress and illness. In other words, glutamine is the amino acid that helps preserve your hard-earned muscles from losing shape. And pea protein is an excellent source of glutamine compared to whey.
Whey has always been known to contain the highest amount of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) which helps promote muscle growth. In this case, however, pea protein seems to carry a comparable level of BCAAs as whey protein (18% in pea protein versus 19% in whey).
Unlike whey protein concentrate, pea protein does not contain lactose and is easy on the digestive tract. Lactose is a sugar that your body can't break down and gets fermented in the intestinal tract, causing stomach discomfort, diarrhea and bloating. If you're sensitive to lactose, pea protein may be a more suitable choice for you.
The digestibility of pea protein is 97.3% compared to whey protein at 99.7%. The negligible difference showed that pea protein is a very easily digestible protein. It has an absorption rate that is just slightly less than whey, but is still considered much faster than casein or other proteins. This balance gives pea protein the edge in muscle growth and protein synthesis without the need for the several intake after workout as recommended when consuming whey protein.
Most importantly, pea protein product costs significantly less than whey proteins. At $9.10 per pound, pea protein is priced at 25-30% lower than whey protein concentrate. With higher protein and quality amino acid contents, pea protein provides your wallet with great savings over the long term, without compromising on your muscle growth and workout.
References:
1. Babault N, et al. Pea proteins oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training: a double-blind, randomized, Placebo-controlled clinical trial vs. Whey protein. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2015 Jan 21;12(1):3.
2. Overduin J, et al. NUTRALYS® pea protein: characterization of in vitro gastric digestion and in vivo gastrointestinal peptide responses relevant to satiety. Food Nutr Res. 2015; 59: 10.
3. Institute of Food TechnologistsAnnual Meeting & Food Expo 2008. Nutralys Pea Protein.
4. Rutherford SM, et al. Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores and digestible indispensable amino acid scores differentially describe protein quality in growing male rats. J Nutr. 2015 Feb;145(2):372-9.
If you're into bodybuilding, chances are that you are well familiar with protein sources from the likes of whey, casein, eggs and soy. But pea? Probably not much. It is not surprising since whey protein had dominated the market for protein supplements for over 20 years since it was first made popular in the late 90’s. It is also because alternatives to whey are lacking since there hasn’t been a protein supplement that came close to whey. But it looks like things are about to change.
The pea protein craze came about in 2015 after a study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition by a group of French researchers. The study found that pea protein is similar to whey when it comes to increasing bicep muscle thickness. The study, which ran for a period of 12 weeks found that men given pea protein experienced similar increase in bicep muscle thickness to men given whey protein, which led the researchers to suggest that pea protein could be the new comparable alternative to whey. But whey protein has always been touted as the leader in protein supplements. How is it that pea protein ended-up standing shoulder-to-shoulder with whey?
We all know pea is packed with protein. But pea protein has several advantages over whey when it comes to price, protein content and the types of amino acids. Whey protein concentrate usually contains about 80% protein, while pea protein isolate contains 85% protein - about 5% more protein than whey. Not bad. But that's not all.
Pea protein contains 4.7 times the amount of arginine in whey (8.7% in pea versus 1.9% in whey). Arginine is the amino acid responsible for increasing blood flow to the muscle and promote protein synthesis. The glutamine content in pea protein is about 67% higher than whey protein concentrate. Glutamine is the amino acid responsible for preventing your muscle from breaking down due to stress and illness. In other words, glutamine is the amino acid that helps preserve your hard-earned muscles from losing shape. And pea protein is an excellent source of glutamine compared to whey.
Whey has always been known to contain the highest amount of branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) which helps promote muscle growth. In this case, however, pea protein seems to carry a comparable level of BCAAs as whey protein (18% in pea protein versus 19% in whey).
Unlike whey protein concentrate, pea protein does not contain lactose and is easy on the digestive tract. Lactose is a sugar that your body can't break down and gets fermented in the intestinal tract, causing stomach discomfort, diarrhea and bloating. If you're sensitive to lactose, pea protein may be a more suitable choice for you.
The digestibility of pea protein is 97.3% compared to whey protein at 99.7%. The negligible difference showed that pea protein is a very easily digestible protein. It has an absorption rate that is just slightly less than whey, but is still considered much faster than casein or other proteins. This balance gives pea protein the edge in muscle growth and protein synthesis without the need for the several intake after workout as recommended when consuming whey protein.
Most importantly, pea protein product costs significantly less than whey proteins. At $9.10 per pound, pea protein is priced at 25-30% lower than whey protein concentrate. With higher protein and quality amino acid contents, pea protein provides your wallet with great savings over the long term, without compromising on your muscle growth and workout.
References:
1. Babault N, et al. Pea proteins oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training: a double-blind, randomized, Placebo-controlled clinical trial vs. Whey protein. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2015 Jan 21;12(1):3.
2. Overduin J, et al. NUTRALYS® pea protein: characterization of in vitro gastric digestion and in vivo gastrointestinal peptide responses relevant to satiety. Food Nutr Res. 2015; 59: 10.
3. Institute of Food TechnologistsAnnual Meeting & Food Expo 2008. Nutralys Pea Protein.
4. Rutherford SM, et al. Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid scores and digestible indispensable amino acid scores differentially describe protein quality in growing male rats. J Nutr. 2015 Feb;145(2):372-9.
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