 Protein Supplement Basicsby Alberto Almeida, MDRecently I have heard numerous people expounding on their knowledge of various protein supplements. You hear it at the gym, at work and you will certainly hear it in any nutritional supplement store. I usually ignore them or just smile and nod when someone makes an attempt to educate me on what protein I should be using. With so many protein choices on the market, and the creative and often highly deceptive marketing being used by many manufacturers, there is a lot of confusion and misinformation floating around. Such misinformation can make it difficult to make decisions when buying and using protein supplement products. We can help clear things up. For the purposes of this discussion we will assume that the types of protein available to sports nutrition companies fall into one of three categories: 1. Protein found in plant sources, mainly soy protein. 2. Protein derived from animal sources (excluding milk). This would include egg-based proteins and those found in meat. 3. Proteins derived from milk. Though there are other proteins available, they are few in number and rarely used.
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Soy Sorry, Sir Soy is found in vegetarian food and a number of protein replacement products, including powders and meal replacement bars. There is a difference between protein from an animal source and protein from a plant source. The difference is net protein utilization which determines protein quality. Net protein utilization is the percent of the amino acids in a protein that the body uses. We typically use 70% to 90% of animal protein but only 40% to 70% of plant protein. The biggest problem with soy protein is that it contains trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin inhibitors actually interfere with the digestion of protein! Trypsin inhibitors also reduce the absorption of other proteins as well. What is the point of taking a protein that reduces the absorption of protein? Soy protein is often marketed to those who are lactose intolerant. While soy protein itself may be lactose free, there are other protein sources that are also lactose free and arguably much better sources of protein, such as micellar casein. One of the most often heard claimed benefits of soy is the estrogenic component of soy protein known as phytoestrogens. Most animal and human studies suggest that soy phytoestrogens can behave just like normal estrogen. For both men and women, increased estrogen levels increases fat storage, reduces fat burning, reduces recovery ability and reduces lean muscle. Additionally, for women, increased estrogen levels can possibly increase breast cancer risk. Soy has a lot of fitness and health drawbacks, and the lactose intolerant benefit can be found in other higher quality proteins, such as micellar casein. Most importantly, soy contains trypsin inhibitors that reduce the absorption of proteins. Soy protein is a very inexpensive protein source that manufacturers choose because they think that you don’t know the difference. Now you do. Eat Your Meat, Don't Shake ItThe second category includes various proteins found in animal products like eggs and meats. Meat proteins can be dehydrated and used in powder form just like other proteins. Unfortunately, such proteins are among the worst tasting proteins. I have tasted most of them in their natural, unflavored state and then tried to flavor them for my own use. They are the only proteins I could not make palatable in any way. The bad taste is so overwhelming it outweighs the potential benefits. That’s why so FEW manufacturers use meat proteins in their products. Sunnyside Up? Egg protein (albumin) is found primarily in egg whites. Processing egg albumin and placing it in a supplement powder requires extensive processing including a tremendous amount of heat. Heating proteins causes structural changes (denaturing) of varying degree. Heating and extensive processing of any protein decreases the potential nutritional benefits of the protein. Extensively processed proteins seem to be highly correlated with stomach problems. Gas, bloating and even diarrhea have long been a complaint of consumers who use proteins subjected to heat processing and egg albumin is a victim of this processing downfall. A Milky Whey To Go The third category, milk proteins, is the largest. Whole milk contains a vast number of molecules with positive health benefits, and probably more that have yet to be found. Milk contains lactose and calcium, as well as whey proteins and phosphoproteins. Of the phosphoproteins, whole casein (properly called micellar casein) is the predominant type. Whey proteins are by far the most common proteins currently found in supplements. Finding a protein drink that does not contain whey is difficult these days as it is a relatively cheap ingredient and is readily available. Manufacturers use it in massive quantities for both powdered and liquid supplements in part because it is easy to manipulate during formulation. Whey protein, although a fair protein source, falls far short of being the perfect protein for two reasons. The first issue with whey protein is digestion problems. Due to processing issues, whey proteins tend to cause varying degrees of upset stomach in those who drink them. For some it is mildly upsetting, for others it turns into a catastrophic gastrointestinal event that leads to product discontinuation. Some whey users resort to using digestive aids (enzymes or medications) to help tolerate this protein and offset the stomach discomfort it causes. Manufacturers will try to sell the notion that their whey product is different, using terms like isolate or ionic filtered. The bottom line is that it is still whey protein and some people can't drink it because of what it does to their stomach.
Whey Too Soon? The second problem with whey protein is its short lived duration of action. Whey protein exerts most of its amino acid support in the first 90 minutes after consuming and is largely ineffective after 3 hours. The very notion that one must consume a protein supplement every 3 hours to keep a hefty supply of amino acids onboard for growing muscles or energy has evolved from the limited lifespan of whey protein. Taking a whey based supplement before bedtime does not make sense. By the time you reach a deep sleep whey protein has already quit working for you. For the same reason, whey use during the day is not optimal as it requires frequent use and is inconvenient to keep up with. The Case For CaseinMost manufacturers use caseinate instead of micellar casein since it is much cheaper. What they are counting on is that consumers will see the word caseinate and think casein in their minds. They are trying to fool you into thinking that casein and caseinate is the same thing. For nutritional purposes, caseinate is a far cry from micellar casein. There are several scientific studies that have proven the benefits of micellar casein over that of other protein sources. A primary study shows that micellar casein delivers amino acids to the body over a period of about 8 hours due to its unique digestion properties. This is more than 3 times longer than whey protein used in the same study. The results also showed that whole micellar casein provides an anticatabolic benefit 34% greater than whey protein. This was only shown to be the case with micellar casein. There is not a single piece of research showing those same results with caseinates, calcium or otherwise. Don't be fooled by creative labeling so common in the supplement industry. Micellar casein is a protein source with scientific data backing up its claims. Milk and MirrorsIt is important to note that casein naturally exists as micelles. Casein micelles are groups of casein fractions (or pieces) held together by electrical bonds. The various components hold the larger amino acid chains in place. Micellar casein cannot exist in any form other than this complete, natural model. Taking away any piece of the casein micelle changes the electrical bonding of the entire structure and causes the micelle to fall apart. Once the micelle has been destroyed it cannot be reformed and the potent benefits of micellar casein are lost.  When you read the ingredients on the back of a protein product and they list micellar alpha and beta casein you should be alarmed. What happened to the other casein fractions that were present in the natural structure? What then happened to the delta, gamma and kappa fractions? Where did they go? Welcome to the world of creative labeling used by most nutritional supplement companies! If it is not the complete structure, then it is not micellar casein! Bang For The BuckSince micellar casein is longer acting and assimilated better it can therefore be consumed less frequently. Thus, micellar casein is an extremely efficient choice from a cost savings standpoint. Even though micellar casein is more expensive than whey or caseinates on a scoop per scoop basis, you still come out ahead by using micellar casein. If you drink 3 scoops of whey 4 times per day you are using a standard one gallon can of whey protein about every 6 days. A one gallon can of micellar casein could last you almost twice as long as a can of whey if used in an equivalent manner (3 scoops twice per day versus 3 scoops 4 times per day). Keep in mind that micellar casein costs manufacturers 2 to 3 times more than whey proteins and 3 to 4 times more than egg and other milk proteins, including caseinate. Using micellar casein in significant quantities substantially raises the ingredient costs of products and most companies will try very hard to avoid doing so! The Ultra Efficient Protein The obvious benefits of using micellar casein warrants putting it in a category by itself, that of the Ultra Efficient Protein. Micellar casein is ultra efficient in terms of digestion, tolerance and benefit. Although micellar casein is not cheap, the benefits provided and the decreased need for constant consumption offset the cost by far. The proven benefits of micellar casein and the great tolerability make this ultra efficient protein my number one choice. Look for a product with at least 15 grams of micellar casein per scoop and use 2 to 4 scoops per shake. You should experience the benefits of using this protein quickly and, like most people; you will keep on using it because of the increased results. Alberto Almeida, M.D. is a sports medicine physician. He is also board certified in family practice from the University of Oklahoma with a fellowship in sports medicine from the University of South Carolina. ReferenceSlow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion “ Yves Boirie, Martial Dangin, Pierre Gachon, Marie-Paule Vasson, Jean-Louis Maubois, Bernard Beaufre. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.SA. December 1997, Volume 94, Pages 14,930-14,935. © 2008 Alberto Almeida, M.D. All rights reserved. Steel MealSteel Meal is the first advance in protein supplementation in over a decade. It is the first formulated and produced pure micellar casein protein supplement on the market (100% micellar casein!) No whey, no soy, no calcium caseinate. Steel Meal is designed for a broad range of needs for both men and women. Steel Meal is used by many people from the average person to professional athletes. Current products on the market that use this superior form of protein do not tell you how much of it they contain. Why? Because they don't have to if they label it as a proprietary blend! What many companies won't tell you is that there is barely enough micellar casein in their product to list it as an ingredient. Many companies will list that their product contains micellar casein but not the amount. Would you buy a car if they wouldn’t tell you what size engine was in it? We are telling you that micellar casein makes up our entire protein source! 20 grams of it per scoop! Micellar casein The sole protein source in Steel Meal is micellar casein. Micellar casein is a relatively new protein that is quickly proving its superiority in the nutrition industry. The production process is at the leading edge of food technology and provides a natural and gentle removal of all whey protein peptides and lactose, leaving a pure micellar casein fraction. That’s right, no lactose! Other manufacturers will avoid using this protein source due to its expensive nature and cost limitations, instead choosing a cheaper and less absorbable form of protein. What is micellar casein? A little background on casein proteins will tell you that all caseins are naturally found in milk. Milk contains two major groups of proteins, the casein peptides and the whey peptides. Casein in its natural form exists as in a micellar structure, meaning that several smaller protein molecules have joined one another to form a larger molecule. Casein has 5 such smaller proteins that join forces to create a much bigger and soluble molecule we refer to as micellar casein. This casein micelle is made predominantly of the alpha, beta and kappa casein subunits (and a much smaller amount of the gamma and delta caseins) attached to form one big protein molecule. Think of this casein micelle as a bowl of spaghetti and meat balls. The spaghetti represents the peptide chains of the various casein subunits and the meatballs represent the calcium phosphate clusters that bond everything together. What you have is a highly complex protein supermolecule that is meant to exist just as it is, in natural form. Removing any part of this large protein complex destroys the micellar structure and you no longer have micellar casein. This is where many nutrition companies capitalize on your lack of understanding. They are betting that you will read things like casein, caseinate or calcium caseinate and think micellar casein. These are not the same thing! Caseinates are casein proteins that have been treated, usually with sprayed calcium buffers, to make them soluble in water. It is important to note that it is impossible to reconstruct a casein micelle by taking individual portions of it and treating them with various acids or buffers. Once the casein micelle has been denatured it is no longer micellar casein. Why does any of this matter? For one simple reason. All of the benefits regarding micellar casein have only been shown to occur with micellar casein, not with casein or caseinates. Why is micellar casein different than other forms of protein found today? Micellar casein is a highly absorbable, undenatured protein providing slower absorption and longer duration than other protein sources (like whey or caseinates). Recent research has shown micellar casein to inhibit muscle breakdown by 34% over a 7 hour period when compared to whey protein. It has also been demonstrated that after ingestion of micellar casein blood plasma amino acid levels remained significantly higher over a 7 hour period when compared to whey. Micellar casein's ability to provide such a lengthy release of amino acids is due to its unique molecular micelle formulation. The micelle characteristics provide a unique angle to the digestive process and makes micellar casein more completely digested than other protein sources. Micellar casein is easily digested and the occurrence of bloating and gastrointestinal upset are much less than that of whey and other proprietary protein blends used by many other companies. Micellar casein produces greater product satisfaction and overall results because it provides a constant supply of amino acids to the body unlike any other product. Read the studies if you don't believe it. Keep in mind that these results were exclusive to micellar casein; not whey, casein or caseinates. Micellar casein has solid research behind it and is living up to the hype. The bottom line is that micellar casein is a superior protein source with anti-catabolic properties far greater than any other available protein sources to date. Why waste your time and money drinking anything else? Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT)Steel Meal contains fat solely in the form of Biolife's exclusive MCT10:8TM medium chain triglycerides. Due to their unique digestion characteristics MCTs do not store as body fat like other types of dietary fats. MCTs are a beneficial fat source that can be utilized as energy by the body much quicker and easier than other forms of fat. Our exclusive MCT technology provides a highly efficient source of energy in a very small amount of time, ready for your body to burn as fuel.  MCTs have been recognized in clinical trials for their ability to increase fat oxidation and increase energy expenditure. Research has shown that individuals who consumed dietary MCTs burned more energy and oxidized more fat than those who consumed similar amounts of common dietary fats. Additionally, MCTs are now being correlated with a greater loss of adipose (fat) tissue and quicker satiety (the feeling of fullness) during meals. It is because of these results that researchers are calling MCTs the fatless fat and expanding the practical applications of MCT use in nutrition. MCTs are also being further studied as an obesity preventative and weight gain management tool. Due to their unique formulation MCTs are also proving to be an advantage to those with digestive problems. MCTs are gentle on the stomach and easily processed while other sources of fat like flax or sunflower oil can cause bloating and discomfort during digestion. Few manufacturers use MCTs in their products because they are more than 10 times the cost of other fats. Our exclusive MCT10:8TM contains a higher ratio of C10 to C8 triglycerides which provides a unique level of digestibility compared to other MCT sources. Since they do not require the same enzymes as other types of fat and are easily digested, MCTs provide an efficient source of calories to those with digestive issues.
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