Yo,
Let’s rewind time back to the younger days of your fitness journey.
You’ve just decided that you’ll buy the best supplement on the market; “Whey Protein Powder”.
You begin searching on Google with a smile across your face, dreaming about the gains you’ll make with this powder. You’ve eventually found some options and manufacturers on the market and begin screenshotting the various powders.
Finally, after an hour, you have about 7 screenshots. The dream is becoming a reality.
So the next step is to look at the prices, which seems easy enough. This passes quickly, and you’ve now short-listed them now to two options.
However, something looks wrong… It’s the labels.
“Whey concentrate” is on one label and “whey protein isolate” is on the other.
“Concentrate” and “Isolate”. At first, they seem like different flavours, but that seems too strange in the first place.
The confusion begins flushing over you, and the dream that seemed so close suddenly feels out of reach. “Concentrate or isolate”? Is now the obstacle.
———
This story certainly relates back to me. I was so confused about what concentration and isolation even were.
Truthfully, I was only focused on the protein content, flavour and price at first, but these two terms stuck out to me. I didn’t know what to do; maybe you didn’t or still don’t.
That’s alright though, as today we’ll be breaking down and explaining the differences between whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate.
Let’s get into it
Protein and other nutrients
Let’s start with the elephant in the room: The amount of protein in each powder.
It makes sense to begin here, as the focal point of this supplement is the amount of protein that it offers.
To give you a short explanation, whey isolate has more protein than whey concentrate. However, concentrate has more quality fats, carbs and other nutrients than the isolate.
Now let’s go into the long(ish) explanation.
Whey isolate has more protein because it undergoes more processing than whey concentrate. With whey concentrate, it undergoes a stage of processing that results in the final product being 60% to 80% protein.
This is unlike whey isolate, as to create this variation of protein powder, the powder undergoes another stage of processing. Following this stage of processing, the result is around 90-95% protein. The second stage of processing is to further maximise the protein and hence the term ‘whey isolate’ (isolating the protein).
Consequently of less processing, whey concentrate has more carbohydrates, fats and other nutrients. These “non-protein” components have not been filtered out to a higher degree than isolate.
So whey isolate would be a better choice if you want to maximise protein no matter what.
If you’re not excessively focused on protein and prefer to maintain some other nutrients within the supplement, then the standard whey concentrate is most likely best for you.
Processing and Digestibility
Regarding digestibility, whey isolate is considered easier to digest. As a result of the extensive processing that whey isolate undergoes to filter out the carbs, lactose and fat, this reduces the chances of any irritants that can cause digestive issues.
Fat can slow digestion and some people have lactose intolerance. Filtering them out reduces the chances of their effects occurring.
Therefore, although the awareness of extensive processing can put some people off from whey isolate, it’s ultimately easier to digest than whey concentrate.
Price
There is no way we can ignore price, so let’s explain the differences.
Whey isolate is more expensive than whey concentrate. In fact, it will be even better for you to see yourself.
Go into your search browser and search “whey protein concentrate” in one tab and “whey protein isolate” in the other. You’ll see the differences in prices.
Furthermore, some companies sell both concentrate and isolate, so you can explore the differences in prices on their websites.
So why is whey isolate more expensive than concentrate?
Well, one reason is because of the extensive processing. It undergoes an extra step of processing compared to concentrate and this extra step increases production costs. More processing=more costs.
Another reason is because of the improved purity and improved digestibility. By removing the impurities to improve digestion and further maximising the protein intake, the final price of the product naturally increases.
Is one better than the other?
Like most things, it depends on your circumstances and what you want.
Personally, I continue to use whey isolate because I only want the most protein possible. Moreover, I’ve used both whey isolate and concentrate, and I felt my digestion to be indifferent between the two. Although everyone is different.
You have to consider your finances, if maximising the protein is really worth it, and whether the remaining carbs and fats would be acceptable for you.
You may even realise that you don’t need it at all.
Conclusion
So today we’ve explored some components of whey isolate vs whey concentrate.
We have found that whey isolate has more protein than whey concentrate. However concentrate has more carbs, fats, lactose and other nutrients.
Whey concentrate is cheaper than whey isolate. This is because of the extra processing that whey isolate undergoes.
Whey isolate is easier to digest because of the lack of impurities within the supplement.
Ultimately, what one deems to be better than the other will depend on your own needs.
Some of you might be wondering “But what about the flavours?” There are multiple flavours between both of these options and I didn’t think of this factor to be so important.
At the end of the day, it’s okay if you pick any. The purpose of this post was to expand your knowledge of both products and approach your purchasing with new knowledge.
Again, it’s absolutely possible to achieve your fitness goals without any of these supplements. You still need to put in the work, both inside and outside of the gym.
However, these supplements can make your diet life easier. They’re both great, effective and convenient.
That brings us to a close. Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts in the comments.
See you next time
