Do You Really Need Whey Protein?

Why are proteins important? Proteins are made up of amino acids which form the basic building blocks of life. They play extremely important roles in the body including the repair of cells, muscles and bones; provision of energy; regulation of metabolic processes and are a necessary part of our immune system. These amino acids are either essential or non-essential. Non-essential amino acids can be synthesized by the body while essential amino acids must be obtained from diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body.

There are many forms of proteins and whey protein is one form. Whey protein is obtained from whey, a byproduct of cheese manufactured from cow's milk. Whey protein is the name for a collection of proteins that include:

- Beta-lactoglobulin (55-65%) - This is the most abundant protein fraction in whey. They have the ability to increase the absorption of fat soluble vitamins and are used by muscles, especially during exercise to produce energy.

- Alpha-lactalbumin (30%) - contains tryptophan, an essential amino acid that is important for appetite control, sleep regulation and mood improvement - especially during stress.

- Immunoglobulins - They are antibodies that help fight off infections.

- Bovine Serum Albumin - Albumin is a very important plasma protein.

- Glycomacropeptides - stimulate cholecystokinin, a hormone that stimulates the release of pancreatic enzymes and bile salts from the gall bladder. Pancreatic enzymes and bile salts are important for digestion and absorption of fats and fat soluble vitamins.

- Lactoferrin - is a protein that binds free iron, a nutrient essential for microbial growth and production of free radicals. Free radicals have been implicated in the development of several cancers (by triggering cellular mutations).

- Lactoperoxidase - has important antimicrobial activity similar to lysozymes.

Whey proteins are high quality and nutritious dairy proteins containing all of the essential amino acids required by the body.

Other great benefits include:

A High Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER). The Protein Efficiency Ratio is a measure of protein quality and the higher the PER, the higher is quality of the protein.

Whey proteins have a biological value of 100. The biological value of a protein is basically a measure of how well the body can absorb and utilize a protein.

Whey protein contains between 90 and 97% pure protein with little or no lactose and so it's very easy to digest even for individuals with lactose intolerance. This is an important point considering the fact that over 70% of the world's population suffer from primary lactase deficiency.

Whey proteins are one form of proteins found in human breast milk. Breast milk has several advantages for both you and your baby; one important function is boosting immunity of the child.