Question
I heard a show where you said PeptoPro really wasn’t worth it, then I see where its hydrolyzed casein.
But I now see advertisements for hydrolyzed whey. That would be better, right?
Answer
To recap, the 411 on Pepto Pro is that 1.) It tastes God awful but more importantly, 2.) Is handily outperformed by EAA’s IMO.
Having said that, the dominant hydrolyzed protein on the market is in most cases derived from Casein, and in fact that’s what PeptpPro is.
Sidebar: If you’re using a product that CLAIMS its hydrolyzed on its label and it isn’t bitter then either 1.) There’s not much of it in there (typically less than 5%) or 2. They’re lying. Since the latter is cheaper than the former, that’s usually the route most supplement companies take.
Be that as it may, the question remains – is hydrolyzed whey any better than hydrolyzed casein?
Here’s how this usually goes.
Supplement companies know that in the minds of most consumers, whey is best.
Most are already buying 5 pound jugs of the stuff a month, so XYZ company figures they might as well sell them super-protein too. Thus, we have “Hydrolyzed Whey.”
First and foremost, hydrolyzed whey is just as bitter as casein. Possibly more-so due to the large amount of Proline residues.
They’ll tell you though, that there’s now a de-bittering process and while that’s true, it makes it a 9 out of 10 on the nasty scale, vs. the 10 out of 10 starting point
Hydrolyzed Whey
Having said all of that, we turn our attention to hydrolyzed whey.
Some studies show benefits. For example, subjects in one study re-gained isometric strength faster vs. whey isolate.
Other studies show faster re-synthesis of glycogen and not surprisingly, it’s insulinogenic. Insulin is important to muscle growth but remember it’s permissive in function, vs. directly anabolic.
When looked at in total, hydrolyzed whey has many of the same benefits hydrolyzed casein does, but it also suffers from the same drawbacks. Namely, fast in = fast out.
What this means is that for bodybuilding purposes, the speed at which a hydrolyzed whey’s di- and tri- peptides raise blood amino acid levels is matched directly by the speed at which they wash out – like, real fast.
So it might be accurate to say hydrolyzed whey is better than nothing, and it would likewise be accurate to say it’s better than whey isolate (several studies compared those two head to head, and HWP was the clear winner). But it would not be accurate to say HWC is any better than Hydrolyzed Casein.
Not surprising, given short chains of peptide bound amino acids are the same whether you get them from whey, casein, beef, chicken or fish. Amino acids are amino acids.
Bottom Line
Use EAA’s intra workout and experiment with varying ratios to tweak their effects. Or you can just take Synthagen, get the precise ratio that works best plus a half dozen other supps you need and be done with it.
Either will be better than hydrolyzed whey or casein IMO.
