The best of hydrolyzed proteins

Hydrolyzed proteins are an ultra-pure form of protein sources, such as whey and others, produced through a process called hydrolysis.

This is the stage in which enzyme treatment breaks down and “predigests” the protein chains into smaller segments, which form the hydrolyzed proteins in powder form.

This produces much smaller protein particles, called peptides, which the body absorbs more easily. This means that hydrolyzed protein has a much faster digestion and absorption rate.

Among the best-known types, hydrolyzed whey protein is often used to optimize the recovery and protein synthesis process, especially among professional athletes.

When protein hydrolysates, often called hydrolyzed proteins, first went on sale in the early 2000s, little was known about their impact on size and performance; we simply knew they digested faster than traditional protein powders.

Some people wondered whether they really made a difference and whether labeled hydrolysates were a gimmick. Now we know better.

A decade later, we have more research to draw on, and both whey and casein hydrolysates are making a comeback.

Will they ever be as popular as isolates or concentrates?

Perhaps not, but beyond rapid digestion, whey and casein hydrolysates offer advantages in certain situations.

How Proteins Are Made

Milk consists of two main types of protein: whey and casein. In breast milk, whey makes up approximately 90% of the protein during early lactation, then levels off at a whey-to-casein ratio of 60:40 and 50:50 during mature and late lactation, respectively.

Compare that with cow’s milk, which contains only 20% whey protein, with the remaining 80% coming from casein.

The high amount of whey protein in human milk points to its role in supporting rapid development, while the abundance of casein in cow’s milk appears to explain the vast majority of food allergies associated with consuming dairy products.

Once cow’s milk is pasteurized and undergoes further processing, the two proteins can be separated by various means.

• Sweet whey, which contains only 30–40% protein, is the most basic form and is still closer to a food than a supplement.
• The remaining 60–70% consists predominantly of lactose sugar and fat.

Filtration and other purification processes concentrate it to provide higher amounts of protein and produce fewer carbohydrates and fats.

These products are called whey protein concentrates.

A product containing 90% or more total protein is called whey protein isolate.

Regardless of the level of concentrate or isolate, all these products are still composed of extremely large peptide structures.

To reduce their size, the enzymes in your digestive system have to break the bonds between selected amino acid sequences to produce smaller peptides that can be used.

To speed up that process, manufacturers can «pre-digest» the protein to create hydrolyzed proteins.

Hydrolyzed proteins: hydro… what?…

The hydrolysate process involves adding proteolytic enzymes, which break down proteins, or heating a protein with acid.

Both mimic the digestive process and result in intact proteins being broken down into individual amino acids and small chains of amino acid peptides.

Hydrolysis potentially drives greater delivery of amino acids from your gut to your muscles and may also improve delivery speed compared with an intact protein [1].

As a result, when using hydrolyzed proteins, there is less time for the liver to extract crucial amino acids as they flow toward the muscles, and for this reason, more amino acids can reach the muscles [2,3].

In terms of nutrition and performance, we should start comparing them with other proteins to better understand things.

In general, it is recommended to look for a product containing extensively hydrolyzed whey protein with at least 15 degrees of hydrolysis.

If you want fewer carbohydrates and less fat, select a hydrolysate derived from a whey protein isolate or an 80% whey protein concentrate… if you want smaller peptides, select a grade from 20 to 32…

Hydrolyzed Proteins: More Amino Acids

The first benefit of hydrolyzed proteins is that you have more amino acids available, and they last longer.

Whey protein hydrolysate has a higher leucine content compared with whey isolate: 14.2% vs. 12.2%, specifically [4].

• Since leucine is essential for “activating” muscle growth, this difference may provide a very slight advantage over any other form of whey, but the difference is much more pronounced with casein.
• Traditional (intact) casein provides a slow and steady increase in amino acid levels.
• It does not produce a pronounced increase in amino acid levels, which is why it is considered “anticatabolic” rather than anabolic.

On the other hand, casein hydrolysate has been shown to initiate a prominent spike in amino acid levels similar to whey protein while maintaining elevated amino acid levels over the following hours, as with traditional casein [5].

What is impressive to us is a study published in Pharmacological Reviews, which found a 30% greater increase in muscle protein synthesis over a six-hour period when subjects consumed casein hydrolysate compared with conventional casein [6].

Hydrolyzed Proteins: Better Glycogen Replenishment

Replenishing glycogen with carbohydrates after training improves the recovery process and prepares your body for your next workout, especially if you are an athlete committed to training twice a day or more frequently.

• Glycogen replenishment is driven by insulin
• This response is robustly stimulated in the presence of carbohydrates, but it is also stimulated in the presence of protein alone.

Hydrolyzed proteins, such as whey protein, induce a substantially greater insulin response compared with conventional proteins (isolate or concentrate).

This facilitates superior glycogen replenishment and a greater anabolic response when consumed after training [7].

However, we mentioned that according to a study published in the journal Amino Acids, the difference between hydrolysate and isolate was not noticeable until 40 minutes. Undoubtedly, more research is needed to discern the implications and potential benefits.

However, research conducted with small animals and cell cultures showed that consuming a combination of whey hydrolysate and carbohydrates after training significantly increased glycogen replenishment 2 hours after training compared with a combination of whey isolate and carbohydrates and a combination of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and carbohydrates[8].

Although this research has only been conducted in animals and cell cultures so far, the authors suggest that their findings translate to similar results in humans.

Hydrolyzed proteins: Faster recovery

A study published in the Journal of Science in Medicine and Sports found that subjects who consumed hydrolyzed proteins after training experienced better recovery and performance shortly after a bout of muscle-damaging exercise than those who consumed whey isolate [2].

• The researchers had 28 subjects complete 100 eccentric repetitions of the leg extension.
• An eccentric approach induces significantly greater muscle damage than typical concentric movements.

Immediately after exercise, subjects consumed 25 grams of whey hydrolysate, 25 grams of whey isolate, or a protein-free placebo.

Recovery was assessed using blood markers, subjective ratings, and performance tests. Measurements were completed 1, 2, 6, and 24 hours after the test.

The group that took hydrolyzed proteins was able to recover performance (measured as maximum isometric torque) 6 hours later, while the placebo and whey isolate groups had still not fully recovered even 24 hours later—and that is a big difference!

Hydrolyzed proteins: Improved performance

Several studies have observed the effect of consuming casein hydrolysates in addition to carbohydrates during training or competition [9,11].

The observed benefits include:

• A greater net protein balance,
• Greater performance in a time trial and,
• Support for training recovery.

Although more research is needed on protein consumption during training, these studies represent promising evidence supporting the consumption of hydrolyzed proteins with casein or a whey-casein blend to improve performance through faster nutrient absorption.

Hydrolyzed proteins: when should you take them?

Whey hydrolysate can be consumed at any time of day, but many people take hydrolyzed proteins both before and after training.

• Consuming whey before training ensures that there will be an adequate supply of amino acids in the bloodstream during the workout. Could it cause stomach discomfort?… unlikely… whey hydrolysate is easy to digest and gentle on the gut.
• Consuming it after training will allow you to reactivate recovery by maximizing the anabolic response to exercise and increasing muscle development and even fat burning.

It’s time to go hydrolyzed

Nowadays, much more research is available examining the impact of hydrolyzed proteins compared with 10 years ago.

And although we have no definitive reason to do away with whey isolates, whey concentrates, or traditional casein, we have information suggesting that choosing a hydrolysate may be advantageous in specific situations:

• When training intensely and frequently: if you train twice a day, a whey hydrolysate may be advantageous for attenuating muscle damage and replenishing glycogen quickly so that it is as close as possible to 100% for your second workout.
• When dieting: for those in a deep dieting phase, choosing a whey hydrolysate after training may be advantageous for promoting recovery in the presence of limited carbohydrates. It may also help you maximize the muscle-building response with fewer calories, given its significantly higher leucine content.
• During long-duration training: if you’re about to embark on prolonged endurance training, a casein hydrolysate can help attenuate muscle breakdown and improve overall performance.

In the end, it’s simply a matter of making the most of the anabolic window, which occurs even during the final stage of a hard workout and for up to 40–50 minutes afterward, resulting in better muscle development… the key?… obviously, absorption—and here hydrolyzed proteins are superior to the others…