| A beginner's guide to protein |
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A protein is any chain of amino acids. An amino acid is a small molecule that acts as the building block of any cell. Carbohydrates provide cells with energy, while amino acids provide cells with the building material they need to grow and maintain their structure. Your body is about 20% protein by weight. It is about 60% water. Most of the rest of your body is composed of minerals (for example, calcium in your bones).
As far as your body is concerned, there are two different types of amino acids: essential and non-essential. Non-essential amino acids are amino acids that your body can create out of other chemicals found in your body. Essential amino acids cannot be created, and therefore the only way to get them is through food. Protein in our diets comes from both animal and vegetable sources. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for protein is 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight. However, protein expert Dr. Peter Lemon recently concluded that exercise more than doubles your need for protein. Based on his review of the research, Lemon reports that if you’re exercising on a regular basis, you’ll need to consume at least 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. For people who want to build muscle as fast as possible, this figure should be nearer 2.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. If you don’t get enough protein in your diet, then your body starts using its own sources of protein for energy. If you’ve been training with weights without seeing much in the way of results, make sure you’re eating enough protein - in either the form of whole food (such as chicken, fish or lean red meat) or a protein supplement. Protein supplements are an easy, convenient and simple way to make sure you’re providing your body with the protein it needs. But don’t make the mistake of thinking all proteins are the same, as they’re not. Many supplement companies include cheap ingredients in their formulas. Several clinical trials have compared whey and casein. The results were the same - whey protein came out top every time [1]. Canadian scientists found that after three months of supplementation, whey protein was six times more effective at improving exercise performance than casein [1]. The whey protein group also lost an impressive 4.8% of body fat, and reported feeling far more energetic. Simply put, adding a high quality whey protein powder to your diet will significantly improve your performance - both in the gym and on the pitch. What’s more, the right type of protein will also help you build muscle faster. Scientists from Australia have also confirmed that whey protein is far superior to casein for muscle growth [8]. Thirteen subjects were given either whey isolate or casein while they took part in a weight-training program for ten weeks. Results showed that the 100% whey isolate was more effective at increasing muscle mass. Test subjects using whey gained over 10 pounds of muscle, while those using casein gained only 2 pounds. Those using whey also gained more strength, although both proteins seemed to prevent the typical drop in plasma glutamine levels that occurs with exercise. Biomax™ - the new benchmark in protein. Whey proteins are not all equal. Most whey originates from cheese processing. First stage whey is technically called ’sweet dairy whey’. It is cheap and of low quality. This cheap whey is loaded with high fat, carbohydrate and lactose. Many cheap brands use this form of whey to offer you very cheap ‘whey’ protein powders, but with no real benefit over milk or casein, you’ll experience no better results either, apart from wind. As they say, products aren’t cheap for no reason. When you see silly adverts and articles that put down whey, it is this form of first stage or ‘waste’ whey, as it is known, to which they refer. High quality wheys are called isolates or hydrolysates. These are achieved by taking the ’sweet dairy whey’ and putting it through a series of special processes, such as cross micro filtration (CFM) or ultra filtration (UF). This process removes virtually all the fat, carbohydrates and lactose, leaving nothing but the highest quality whey protein. To ensure it is not damaged in the drying process, (as it is still in liquid form), it is cold spray dried. This involves blowing the liquid into massive chambers where it is instantly powdered in a specially controlled temperature environment. This unique process allows you to avoid the problems of denaturisation. This is where high heat has been used to dry the protein, causing damage to the amino acids and therefore, poor absorption. CFM or UF whey allows you to select the exact specifications (or different whey fractions) you require, such as high BLG for increased branch chain amino acids or high ALA for greater recovery and Cortisol reduction. You can even select high GMP levels by selecting the right cheese derived whey for added immune system boosting. All these benefits are only possible with whey put through these expensive processes. You can go one step further by partially treating the protein with enzymes. This helps digestion and speeds up amino acid delivery to the muscle. These are called whey hydrolysates and are very expensive. Biomax™ is a patent-pending collection of high quality whey proteins that have been processed using cross micro filtration and hydrolysation. This very simple summary of the Biomax™ whey protein blend should give you an understanding of why it is so superior to conventional whey proteins and other inferior and outdated proteins, such as milk, soya, egg, and casein (micellar) proteins. Biomax™ produces a very high Biological Value (BV is the latest in measuring techniques for advanced proteins, outperforming the outdated PER and NPU measurements). The Biomax™ blend is currently in trials with universities, the military and elite athletes, where its unique muscle preservation, immune boosting, enhanced recovery and superb sports performance benefits are being explored. The unique milk, egg, soya and casein free formula (virtually lactose free), means it’s suitable for lactose and gluten intolerant people, the elderly and sick. You will be surprised how easy it is to digest and how you suffer no stomach upsets, side effects or wind. Several hospitals currently use Biomax™ protein to treat patients with wasting disease conditions, to help them build lean muscle and strength with amazing results. The Biomax™ protein is considered by experts and even competitors to be the most advanced protein of its kind, not just in the UK, but in Europe and America. Due to Maximuscle being the largest suppliers of exclusive high quality proteins to the market, Maximuscle are proud to be the only company to have been offered the exclusive rights to supply pharmaceutical grade Biomax™ to the nutritional industry, through Maximuscle’s innovative nutritional products. No matter whether you’re trying to lose the love handles, add a few inches of new muscle to your chest and shoulders, or shave seconds off your personal best for a 10 km run, including an extra serving or two of high-quality whey protein in your diet each day will help you reach your goals far more quickly. Simply take one serving of Promax in the morning (mix it with milk or water, and pour it on your cereal), and another serving after training. It mixes instantly without lumps (so you won’t need a blender), and comes in several delicious flavours, including chocolate, cappuccino, vanilla, banana, and strawberry. If you're interested in learning more about sports nutrition products containing Biomax™, click here. References |