Why the protein blend is on trend

By Pedro van Gaalen

If you read the label on the tubs of protein powder available at your local Dis‑Chem store, you may pick up on a new trend! 

Due to various market factors, local and international supplement brands have updated their product lines and formulations, with protein powders at the forefront of this industry evolution. 

The latest innovation to hit store shelves is the multi-source protein blend. While combining proteins is not new, the products available today tend to combine more sources than ever with both animal and plant-based options.  

The milk mainstay

The traditional protein blend typically combined different whey proteins to deliver a sustained release of amino acids – the building blocks that make up complete proteins. 

Whey blends typically contain a combination of two or more whey protein sources such as whey isolate, concentrate and/or hydrolysate. Milk-derived protein blends might also include micellar casein and/or milk protein isolate for a combination of fast, medium and slower release protein sources.

This characteristic ensures muscles receive a steady supply of amino acids over a longer period of time – up to three hours – after exercise. 

Plant-based becomes popular

When plant-based living rose in popularity, manufactures developed products to meet the demand. 

These protein supplements combined complementary plant-based protein sources to provide a complete amino acid profile from a single product (most plant proteins are classified as incomplete proteins, which means they do not contain all the essential amino acids (EAA) that our bodies need). 

Combining protein sources

In the past, multi-source blends were typically a speciality product line, but these formulations have now hit the mainstream! Modern multi-source blends generally combine animal and plant protein sources to deliver a truly blended product. 

The most common combination is whey, soy, and casein, which provides a prolonged release of amino acids to support muscle growth and recovery after exercise due to the differing digestion rates of these different protein sources. 

However, newer products on the market often include multiple plant-based sources, including pea, brown rice and wheat proteins, among others. 

Longer amino acid release

These proteins all have different characteristics and the body digests and absorbs them at different rates. 

More specifically, whey protein is a fast-release protein because it is rapidly metabolised and absorbed. Soy protein delivers an intermediate release of amino acids, while casein digests more slowly than both whey and soy. 

The combination of these three protein sources resulted in ideal amino acid blood concentrations over a five-hour period. This ensures that muscles receive a sustained supply of amino acids, which prolongs the muscle-building benefit and supports enhanced muscle repair and recovery.

Timing your shake intake

Specifically, the protein blend used in the study demonstrated muscle-building benefits when consumed during that crucial post-workout period commonly known as the “anabolic window”.

The study confirmed that the protein blend used in the study (soy, whey and casein) provided a prolonged delivery of amino acids to muscle compared to a whey-only shake. This made it optimal for use following resistance exercise, especially when you have an extended period between meals or when you don’t plan to consume multiple shakes throughout the day. 

For similar reasons, a blend is the ideal protein supplement to use first thing in the morning to break the night-time fast – whey serves as an immediate trigger to kickstart the muscle-building (anabolic) process, while the soy and casein sustain the amino acid release for the rest of the morning.

In addition, blends offer a more comprehensive amino acid profile, providing all the EAAs found in whey, along with the highly anabolic branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), as well as non-essential amino acids like arginine and glutamine found in soy. 

This combination ensures you get all five amino acid classes, which may aid the anabolic process by increasing growth hormone production. 

IS A BLEND BETTER?

While many gym-goers and athletes consider whey the premium protein option on the market, research suggests that a blend may offer benefits over single-source protein products. 
For instance, a landmark 2012 clinical study published in the FASEB Journal looked at the effect of a protein blend on new muscle growth (a process known as muscle protein synthesis) compared to a whey-only product following resistance exercise. 
The researchers found that a blend of soy, whey and casein may provide the best post-workout protein shake for building muscle. The protein blend used in the study was determined in a preclinical study and consisted of 25% isolated soy protein, 25% isolated whey protein and 50% casein. 

The cost factor

The rising cost of whey protein is due to global supply chain constraints, particularly shortages in raw materials, and higher demand also necessitated this product formulation innovation. 

Whey prices increased by over 35% in December 2021, with additional increases already implemented in 2022 as pass-through costs force retailers to up prices. 

Blending cost-effective raw ingredients that are not in short supply, like plant proteins, offers a sensible way to reduce the potential for further price increases in future, without compromising on the quality and efficacy of protein supplements.

 


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