Whey has been utilized by athletes for many years for protein replenishment, muscle constructing, and general restoration. It’s the tried and true protein complement within the health trade, whereas collagen is like the brand new child on the block. Is collagen a fad, or is it actual and evidence-based? Does it have advantages for athletes and bodybuilders? Or is it largely for fairly hair and pores and skin?
At the moment we’re going to dive into the information on each dietary supplements that can assist you discover out which one is best for you.
What Is Collagen Protein?
Collagen is a fibrous, structural protein that’s discovered abundantly in people and all mammals. The phrase “collagen” is derived from the Greek phrase for glue. It was so named for its means to show to soluble gelatin when heated in water.
Collagen is a vital constructing block in bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscle. It performs a giant position within the well being of your hair, pores and skin, and nails. As with all protein constructions, collagen is constructed from amino acids. Collagen comprises 19 amino acids and eight important amino acids. The primary aminos that make up collagen are glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and arginine.
Glycine is a nonessential amino acid that’s thought-about the “most important and simple, nonessential amino acid in humans…” and has been discovered efficient in enhancing the well being and energy of each people and animals.
Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. Which means though it’s produced and synthesized by the physique, generally extra is required from the eating regimen (particularly when the physique is below common stress, corresponding to athletics and bodybuilding). For that reason, it’s a frequent complement seen amongst health professionals. Arginine is the substrate for nitric oxide, which is crucial for getting good blood circulation to lively muscular tissues and regulating blood strain. It additionally performs a task in wound and damage therapeutic.
Proline and Hydroxyproline, out of all of the amino acids, are probably the most important for whole-body protein synthesis. Which means to ensure that your physique to correctly use protein for muscle constructing and restoration, proline should be current. Proline additionally performs a serious position in efficient wound and damage therapeutic. Proline is taken into account a semi-essential amino acid.
Collectively, these 3 amino-acids plus 8 important amino acids and seven different non-essential amino acids construct the complicated triple-helical construction of collagen protein. In complete, a collagen molecule comprises a median of 1000 of those aminos.
Within the human physique, collagen molecules make up:
Collagen protein dietary supplements are derived from animal collagen. Sure, that does imply that there are NO vegan collagen choices. And most corporations supply their collagen from the hides and connective tissues of cows. These comprise copious quantities of high-quality collagen and in addition assist sustainable farming practices by making certain farmers can use the entire cow.
What Is Whey Protein?
Whey is without doubt one of the two important proteins present in milk (the opposite being casein). When cheese is made, milk fats coagulates and leaves behind whey. Equally, whenever you open a bath of yogurt, the watery movie on the high is whey. Cheese producers use to discard this after making cheese till it was found that whey is a useful supply of protein and diet.
Whey is in style partly as a result of it comprises 20 amino acids, and all 9 important amino acids, making it an entire protein supply.
Important amino acids can’t be made by the physique and should be obtained from the eating regimen. The important amino acids embody:
Whey can be low in fats and lactose, making it good for these monitoring their fats consumption or these delicate to common dairy merchandise.
As acknowledged above, whey protein comes from milk. Extra particularly, it’s a byproduct of the cheese-making course of. After the cheese is made, the remaining watery liquid is filtered to take away information and lactose, leaving on whey focus behind. This liquid whey is spray-dried with cold and warm air till it turns into a powder. This powder is then packaged by numerous complement corporations and generally formulated with different components (i.e. taste).
How Do Collagen and Whey Examine?
Let’s dive into the analysis surrounding whey protein and collagen protein and see how they examine. From a non-biased perspective, that is how the 2 protein’s stack up:
Absorption Fee
Whereas it’s usually touted that whey protein is absorbed shortly and simply, analysis has really confirmed that it takes the physique about 1.5 hours to digest viscous liquids (corresponding to whey protein shakes). Not solely that, however the physique can solely digest 8-10 grams of whey protein per hour.
This implies doubtlessly half of your protein shake isn’t even being absorbed.
Nevertheless, you CAN enhance the whey absorption fee by including digestive ENZYMES. Analysis has discovered that consuming whey protein together with sure enzymes can improve amino acid absorption by 127%. So higher absorption could also be so simple as including a digestive enzyme complement.
Hydrolyzed collagen is already damaged down and “pre-digested” in order that when it enters the physique, it may be simply absorbed and utilized.
Analysis has discovered that the hydrolysis of collagen was related to an enhanced absorption fee of collagen’s important amino acids (proline, hydroxyproline, and glycine) 20 minutes post-ingestion. A extra detailed look into how collagen is digested and utilized within the physique will be discovered right here.
Winner: if whey isn’t taken with digestive enzymes, hydrolyzed collagen positively wins at sooner and extra environment friendly absorption. Nevertheless, with the addition of digestive enzymes, whey protein could tie with collagen.
Muscle Constructing
Each whey and collagen help the physique with constructing muscle after energy coaching, however whey appears to stimulate larger charges of protein synthesis. This can be attributable to whey’s excessive focus of leucine.
Collagen, nevertheless, helps to keep up a optimistic nitrogen stability within the physique (anabolic) higher than whey. Nitrogen stability refers back to the measure of nitrogen output/enter. If one is in a destructive nitrogen stability, this means that the physique is malnourished and/or has been pushed into catabolic processes over anabolic. That is typically attributable to poor diet/protein consumption and is exasperated by overtraining.
Collagen additionally strengthens the extracellular matrix of the muscle cells, permitting for extra load to be distributed with extra power with out including massive measurement.
Research have discovered collagen to enhance physique composition by rising fat-free mass, lowering fat-mass, and rising muscle energy. It’s advantages have been studied largely in older adults and the aged.
Winner: Tie
Harm Restoration and Ache Reduction
Because of its excessive glycine content material, collagen appears to have highly effective anti-inflammatory results on accidents. A number of research have discovered that hydrolyzed collagen reduces each irritation and ache, and quickens the therapeutic course of in situations corresponding to exercise-induced joint ache, osteoarthritis, and tendonitis/ Achilles tendinopathy.
Analysis has discovered that whey protein doesn’t appear to have favorable results on circulating inflammatory markers. Whey protein really appears to boost the inflammatory response throughout wound therapeutic by restoring ranges of oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokines.
Winner: Collagen
Bone Density
Preliminary analysis has discovered that consuming hydrolyzed collagen (a serious structural protein) will increase bone mass throughout progress durations. Research have discovered that supplementation of hydrolyzed collagen might also assist to stop age-related bone loss, improve bone formation, and scale back bone degradation.
Whereas supplementation of whey protein doesn’t adversely have an effect on skeletal well being, it doesn’t appear to enhance it, both.
Winner: Collagen
Amino Acid Profile
The primary variations between the amino acid profiles of whey and collagen are that whey comprises all 9 important amino acids, whereas collagen solely has 8. Whey additionally comprises extra BCAA’s (branch-chain amino acids) that are key in restoration and muscle synthesis.
Collagen dietary supplements could simply be made into an entire protein by merely including the lacking important amino acid, which is what we do with our Frog Gasoline merchandise.
Collagen comprises three amino acids which are typically missing in whey and plant-based proteins, and are additionally not present in typical meat merchandise. Collagen is a fibrous protein discovered within the pores and skin, cartilage, and bones of animals whereas whey comes from milk.
Winner: Tie
Collagen Protein vs Whey for Bodybuilding
Mixed with a nutritious diet, each whey protein and hydrolyzed collagen appear to have promising advantages for bodybuilders. Whereas whey protein could assist sooner muscle progress than collagen, each enhance muscle progress and restoration. Collagen appears to be more practical than whey in terms of damage restoration and the rebuilding of connective tissues and constructions within the physique.
The trick with collagen is that it’s not as simply obtained from a contemporary eating regimen as proteins present in whey. You possibly can simply discover all important amino acids in animal merchandise corresponding to lean meats, fish, and dairy. Collagen, nevertheless, is usually discovered within the pores and skin, connective tissues, and bones of animals. Traditionally, it was frequent for folks to make use of the whole animal and eat loads of collagen. However trendy comfort has slowly eradicated these dietary tendencies, and never many people are consuming these components of the animal anymore.
For that reason, collagen supplementation could also be very helpful to bodybuilders and athletes typically.
Why Collagen Dietary supplements Are Necessary For Adults
Do you know the physique’s pure manufacturing of collagen protein begins to gradual in your 20’s? Based on analysis surrounding collagen manufacturing, an individual produces about 1% much less collagen yearly after the age of 20. For this reason collagen has been extensively studied for its potential anti-aging properties for the pores and skin, hair, and joints.
The place To Purchase Collagen Protein
It is very important hunt down high-quality hydrolyzed collagen when on the lookout for an excellent complement. Frog Gasoline Energy comprises GMO-free enzyme hydrolyzed collagen protein for max absorption and utilization. We’ve added in additional amino acids to make sure it’s a full protein supply, offering a complete of twenty-two amino acids. Every serving is just 60 energy and is lactose, sugar, fats, and gluten-free.
What questions do you may have about collagen vs whey? Please depart your feedback and questions under. We love to listen to from you and recognize understanding what you wish to have addressed in future content material.
– “protein powder versus collagen powder”
“protein powder versus collagen powder”