Anyone who is taking whey, is considering taking it, or is interested in it for the sake of their patients, athletes, clients, friends, or family. Whether you’re male or female, young or old, active or sedentary, under- or overweight; whether your goal is to build muscle, lose fat, or just be the healthiest you can be; our guide can help you choose the best product for you — and take full advantage of every gram.
You want to lose weight
Whey protein is one of the few supplements proven to work in human studies (and not just, you know, in test-tube studies of mouse fat cells). Our guide will help you include in your diet the ideal amount of whey protein to enhance your weight loss — and ensure that most of the lost weight will be fat, not muscle.
You want to build muscle
In both men and women, whether with or without training experience, research shows that adding whey protein to exercise accelerates fat loss and muscle gain and reduces muscle soreness (soreness is especially common in people who’ve just started working out). Our guide will help you choose between products and fine-tune your protein protocol to take full advantage of your efforts at the gym.
You’re a health professional
Whether you’re a doctor, dietitian, coach, or personal trainer, your patients, athletes, or clients probably turn to you for advice on supplements in general and protein powders in particular — and you want to give them the very best guidance in this area too.
Our guide will provide you with all the information you need, based on the latest scientific evidence. The supporting studies are all clearly referenced.
You’re a nutrition nerd
If you’re the kind of person who wants to know everything they can about a topic, and whey protein is something that intrigues you, this is the perfect guide for you. We go deep into the science. Does cold-processed matter? How about grass-fed? Type of sweetener? Filtration method? Our users asked us over a thousand questions about whey, and we set out to answer them all.
You’re a bodybuilder or fitness model
If you’re a bodybuilder, you already know about many kinds of protein powders and probably blend a few or use different ones at different times. You’re also more likely to want to get an edge with a special protein powder, even if it empties your wallet.
Our guide will help you decide if a product is worth its higher price tag. It will help you adjust dosing and timing to ensure maximal muscle protein synthesis (anabolism) and minimal muscle protein breakdown (catabolism). It will help you bulk with minimal fat gain and lean down with minimal muscle loss.
If you’re a fitness model, however, you can’t afford to alternate bulking and cutting cycles. You need to keep in shape — to keep your muscle mass high and your fat mass low — year around. Our guide can help you fine-tune your intake to achieve this result, and maybe even improve on it: studies have shown that whey protein can help build muscle and lose fat over the same period of time.
You’re an athlete
In strength athletes, whey protein increases neuromuscular efficiency as well as muscle mass. But what about BCCAs? Or beta-alanine? Can they really give you an edge when you most need one?
In endurance athletes, whey protein promotes recovery and muscle repair and reduces muscle soreness. But what about glutamine? Can it also promote recovery? And taurine, can it really boost your performance?
You're a vegetarian
It is harder to get enough protein from a plant-based diet:
- The whole foods richest in protein are all animal based.
- Proteins from plant-based whole foods have lower bioavailability.
- Proteins from plant-based whole foods are seldom complete proteins.
Therefore, if you’re vegetarian, a whey protein powder can really make your life easier. Our guide will help you select the right one (from pasture-raised cows?) and determine how much to take to complement the protein in your plant-based diet.
(Whey is a protein in milk, however, so if you’re vegan, this guide isn’t for you!)
You’re pregnant or lactating
Studies show that you need more protein when you’re pregnant or lactating, to ensure optimal health for you and your baby. But how much more, and is whey protein safe? And what about all the other ingredients commonly found in whey protein powders?
You’re a senior
It’s unfair, but the older you get, the more important protein becomes. A whey protein powder can slow, prevent, and even reverse sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss), even in seniors who don’t exercise.
Alas, it’s too late to build muscle you didn’t have as a youth — right?
Wrong! Studies show that you can increase your muscle mass even in your late years, as long as you do resistance training and get enough protein. The catch is that you need more protein than a youth to jumpstart the muscle-building process. So whether your goal is to keep healthy as you age or get fitter than you ever were, our guide can help you.