The Ultimate Guide to Protein Bars, Whey Protein, and Creatine Monohydrate
Protein Bar
Nutrition bars can be manufactured cold or baked. The cold-manufactured bars are made using two methods either by an extrusion process or using binders (sugar syrups) that allow the bar components to stay together in a set shape. The range of texture is from cereal bars to chewy nougat. Nutrition bars can be coated in chocolate or other flavours.
Not every nutrition bar is an energy bar. Normally protein bars contain high levels of protein which include whey, soy and pea protein. Commercial products up to 50% protein are available. Manufacturing high protein bar compromises taste and texture of the bar. To counter these effects, different coatings, nuts, combined sugar syrups, nuts, oils, vitamins and other carbohydrates are added. Protein bars are more useful as a post-exercise snack because of their high protein nature to repair muscle tissue and also ability to replace some of the depleted glycogen stores.
A collection of globular proteins isolated from coagulation of milk. It is the watery portion of milk separating from curds when making cheese. There are different types of whey protein with regards to purity namely Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Hydrolysate. Most athletes use whey as a muscle recovery protein.
Whey Protein Concentrate
This form of powder typically has a low level of fat and cholesterol content when compared to regular whey protein. Whey Concentrate is high in carbohydrates, specifically lactose sugar, a disaccharide most commonly found in milk. It is one of the cheapest proteins on the market, hence most common. Protein levels in whey concentrate can vary between 40-90% protein content per serving depending on which company or brand manufactured the product.
This is usually processed and refined in a process that will remove impurities like fat, cholesterol and the lactose from the compound. This makes whey isolate one of the purest protein powders by trade and comprising of over 90% protein content per serving. However, removal of these impurities couples with removal of other beneficial nutrients that can improve cell life of the body. These are known as bioactive compounds, and it’s important to note that although they have their benefits to the body, they are not essential nutrients so the body can function fine without these compounds. A major advantage whey isolate has over whey concentrate is that it can be lactose-free to a greater extent, allowing room for lactose-intolerant individuals to be able to consume the product.
Hydrolysed Whey
It is called hydrolysed whey because it goes through a process of hydrolysis. Hydro- means water and Lysis- means breakdown. Whey protein that undergoes the hydrolysis process simply is whey protein that has had the addition of water into the substance to allow for the protein to be broken down into smaller molecules for the sole purpose of being metabolized much easier. The advantage that hydrolysed whey offers over conventional whey is that it allows for amino acids that are consumed from the protein within the body to be absorbed at a much higher rate when compared to standard and complete proteins. This results in more efficient nutrient absorption and transportation to muscles to replenish depleted nutrients to help with hypertrophy or muscle growth and repair. It is also important to note that hydrolysed whey contains fewer allergens compared to other whey proteins. Although hydrolysed whey has more benefits compared to whey concentrate, it is one of the most expensive forms of whey protein.
Creatine is a nitrogenous amine that was discovered in 1832. It is found primarily in skeletal muscle, consisting of 95% of the body’s creatine stores. Creatine is an ergogenic supplement athletes have used to increase strength gains in the weight room. In the 1990s, creatine became a popular supplement used by athletes to augment resistance training. The popularity of creatine grew as studies began to show some benefits with strength training, particularly with short-duration, high-intensity exercises or resistance training.
Creatine monohydrate is the most studied form of creatine, therefore, the greatest amount of efficacy and safety data are available for this form. There is little safety data on other types of creatine supplements. The total amount of creatine in the body is equal to the free creatine plus the phosphocreatine, which equals approximately 120 g in a 70-kg person.
In addition to performance measurements, evidence has supported increases in fat-free mass and Type II muscle fiber area. Muscle glycogen levels may also be affected by creatine supplementation, likely as a result of increased cellular water content. Based on the best available evidence, ingestion of 20 g/d of creatine monohydrate for 5 d or 3-5 g/d for about 30 d will maximally increase muscle creatine. The exact dose needed to increase brain creatine is unknown, but standard loading doses have been effective at increasing brain creatine in some studies. Based on this information, there appears to be no rationale for recommending another form of creatine as a supplement.
To optimize creatine uptake, ingest supplements following a carbohydrate or carbohydrate/protein-containing meal or following exercise. The performance of brief (< 30 s), high-intensity sprint-type exercise should improve with creatine supplementation, and these sprints could occur alone, in repeated bouts or during/ after endurance exercise. By increasing stores of phosphocreatine with creatine supplementation, the belief is one can decrease muscle fatigue and increase performance by prolonging the phospho-creatine shuttle producing ATP (Energy).
Blessing TF Mushonga
Head of Nutrition
