Whey Isolate - We tell you all about the benefits, the risks, the composition...

Whey isolate is gaining in popularity with all types of athletes. However, this dietary supplement still sometimes suffers from a poor image, or is even associated with doping or unhealthy products.

From a nutritional point of view,whey isolate offers a number of advantages, both on a one-off basis and over the long term, when supplementation is a long-term goal.

This supplement is highly concentrated in proteins and therefore in amino acids. Like classic whey protein, isolate is a rapidly assimilated milk protein. It is relatively well tolerated by the body and should not cause any digestive problems.

Its high nutritional value gives you the means to achieve your goals, whether to promote mass gain, gain muscle tone or boost your endurance. What's more, whey isolate can also be useful as part of a slimming diet. Can whey help you lose weight?

In fact, by providing numerous amino acids in a minimal volume, whey makes it possible to limit caloric intake, while having a very high nutritional index. It is therefore a natural food supplement, with all the possibilities it offers. Nevertheless, to really achieve their goals, sportsmen and women will need to look after their diet, by adopting a balanced and varied diet, and engaging in regular physical activity.

What is whey isolate?

The name of this product leaves no room for doubt. Whey isolate is a dietary supplement derived from "classic" whey. It has a higher protein concentration, and is virtually lactose- and lipid-free.

In this sense, whey isolate would be much better for post-workout supplementation. Whey isolate is slightly more expensive than classic whey. This further explains why classic whey remains the most popular supplement for athletes and body-builders.

How is whey isolate obtained?

Whey isolate is a protein powder derived from cow's milk. It is obtained by adding an additional step to the whey manufacturing process. In the first stage, whey is micro-filtered and ultra-filtered to isolate and purify its amino acids.

This first step is sufficient to produce whey concentrate. To obtain isolate, all that remains is to push the mechanical filtration process further, to isolate the whey proteins and get rid of various undesirable substances.

What is the nutritional composition of isolates?

Isolate is an extra-pure whey. The protein content of the raw powder exceeds 80/85%, and the supplement boasts an excellent amino acid profile. It contains essential amino acids (EAA) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA ) . It provides amino acids that the body is unable to synthesize, as well as others useful for muscle building.

Whey isolate is virtually fat-free and low in carbohydrates. 100 grams of whey isolate will contain less than 5 g of carbohydrates and less than 3 g of fat. It also contains less than 5% lactose. With no additives, good-quality whey has excellent digestibility. This dietary supplement is therefore suitable for sensitive individuals. It prevents fat build-up and is ideal for improving physical fitness.

What's the difference between classic whey and isolate?

As you will have gathered, the difference between classic whey and isolate lies in the manufacturing process and, ultimately, in its composition. Thanks to additional filtration steps, the isolate has been stripped of the carbohydrates (lactose) and lipids that could still be found in the composition of whey. Thanks to the removal of these substances, the isolate will have a higher nutritional value. In principle, this dietary supplement makes it easier to meet your protein requirements.

Thanks to the high purity of whey isolate, the proteins provided by whey isolate are even more easily assimilated by the body. The body absorbs EAA and BCAA within minutes. This makes it a better dietary supplement than "classic" whey for post-workout supplementation.

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Whey concentrate or isolate?

At first glance, whey isolate is a better alternative. Yet whey concentrate remains the most widely consumed product. How can we explain this preference for a supplement less rich in protein and significantly less digestible? Well, for one thing! Because of its price. Naturally, the more advanced filtration of isolate is more expensive, and requires state-of-the-art equipment.

Hydrolyzed whey or isolate?

In addition to whey and isolate, there are various protein powders on the market, and in your search you'll also find hydrolyzed whey. Hydrolyzed whey is sometimes presented by the brands selling it as the best whey protein.

The reality is quite different. In fact, its production required an additional, more advanced step. This time, the whey isolate was hydrolyzed, i.e. "cut" and transformed, before being freeze-dried.

In the case of hydrolysate, protein concentrations can reach 90% or more. That said, such a high degree of concentration is useless to the consumer, and the various additional processes make hydrolyzed whey an ultra-processed and denatured product.

Hydrolyzed whey won't be more digestible or more effective, but it will be much more expensive. Moreover, it would appear that isolate already possesses all the qualities of this supplement. Quality whey isolate, without additives, remains the option to consider if you suffer from serious digestive problems.

What are the benefits of whey isolate?

Isolate provides all the benefits of a high-protein diet. This dietary supplement enables athletes from all walks of life to progress in their chosen disciplines.

Like whey, isolate can be used to build muscle mass, improve recovery or promote dryness before a competition. It is therefore suitable for both bodybuilding enthusiasts and endurance athletes.

Studies have shown that regular intake of whey protein optimizes muscle fiber synthesis after exercise. The body takes advantage of the EAA and BCAAs supplied by this supplement to repair the lesions left by training: a necessity for strengthening muscle fibers and possibly gaining muscle mass, depending on the intensity of exercise.

In any case, muscle mass gain, endurance gains and all the other benefits associated with isolate intake should not be directly associated with the same dietary supplement. To benefit from its beneficial effects, the consumer must first and foremost engage in regular physical activity. Isolate is not a shortcut to ideal physical fitness. You'll need to set aside time for training sessions.

Isolate is also an excellent dietary supplement for senior citizens, in addition to bodybuilding and sports. On the same nutritional basis as for a young athlete, a high-protein diet is useful for seniors to maintain their muscle mass. This effect will be observed even if the elderly consumer only practices sport at a very moderate intensity.

Why take isolate?

It's hard to put it any other way: isolate has all the qualities of classic whey, only better! Its high nutritional value makes it an excellent food supplement. What's more, isolate is suitable for all sporting activities. It's ideal for endurance athletes and body-builders alike. This supplement enables you to gain muscle mass, red or white fibers, depending on the sporting discipline practiced.

Thanks to its composition, whey isolate is even better tolerated by the body than classic whey. With its low lactose content, whey isolate is also easily digested by the body. In the long term, a quality whey isolate without additives spares you from minor digestive problems.

When should I take whey isolate?

The number of daily intakes depends above all on the quantity of isolate to be consumed. To determine the recommended dose, athletes must first define their objectives. Do they want to gain muscle or just improve recovery and the beneficial effects of training?

As a general rule, supplementation for mass gain requires a greater quantity of protein. For some, this means two to three shakers a day. Bear in mind that the body cannot assimilate more than thirty grams of protein in a single intake. As you'll understand later on in this guide, bodybuilders looking to build mass cannot be satisfied with a single daily intake.

On the other hand, a shaker of isolate is a priori more than sufficient for sportsmen and women seeking to maintain themselves and for endurance sportsmen and women. Here, the aim is not to supply the body with a maximum amount of protein to build impressive muscle mass. A single intake after training will suffice to recover more quickly from post-exercise micro-injuries, and optimize the subsequent muscle synthesis phase. Generally speaking, the different types of whey are all used in this way, i.e. consumed just after training.

To find out more, read these articles:

Can whey isolate help you lose weight?

Whey and its various forms are among the dietary supplements most often consumed as part of a slimming diet. This practice, and the advertising of high-protein diets, has given rise to the myth that whey and isolate will help you lose weight. It goes without saying that these supplements are not the miracle products for weight loss. Nevertheless, they can help you achieve your goals in a healthy way during a diet.

Isolate and other whey types do indeed have strong satiety properties. These protein powders provide a fairly long-lasting feeling of satiety. Taking whey protein influences the secretion of hormones that regulate this feeling of satiety. Isolate is therefore an excellent natural appetite suppressant.

To take full advantage of this isolate property, simply prepare a shaker between two meals. This little mid-day or mid-afternoon snack keeps hunger at bay until lunch or dinner. This simple tip will give you the means to stick to your diet to the letter. And that will help you get back on track, if that's what you're aiming for.

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Is whey isolate fattening?

Many athletes wonder whether whey is really fattening. Paradoxically, while whey isolate can help you slim down, it can also make you put on weight. Physiologically, weight gain or loss depends on the calories you ingest. The body will build up fat reserves if you take in more calories than you need. On the other hand, you will lose weight if you are in a calorie deficit.

Isolate can therefore make you put on weight if it provides you with excess calories that are not used. This is usually the case if you're not on a slimming diet, or if you're not physically active. By following a diet, you limit the calories you ingest. By engaging in physical activity, you increase your energy expenditure, and stimulate protein synthesis, which consumes proteins, and indirectly the associated calories, to build muscle fibres. These are two effective ways of avoiding any calorie imbalance that could lead to overweight.

To prevent unwanted weight gain, we advise you to take a close look at your diet before starting supplementation. As a guide, 100 g of an isolate-based product provides around 380 kcal. If you're looking to lose weight, read our article on the lowest-calorie whey.

Should I take whey isolate to build muscle?

Whey isolate has many uses. Among other things, it is an excellent supplement for mass gain. Thanks to its high purity, this supplement is a major ally. It enables the body to fully satisfy its protein needs, so that it can build new muscle fibers.

It's worth noting, however, that mass gain rhymes with a high-calorie diet. It can be complicated (financially and materially) to reach your calorie targets with your conventional diet. That's why specialists sometimes recommend gainers. However, it is possible to prepare a "homemade gainer", easily.

To do this, isolate is mixed with a carbohydrate source. This will also slow down the assimilation of amino acids. Slow-assimilating proteins are much more beneficial when taken in the evening, at bedtime for example. They allow the body to build up reserves of amino acids, which it can then use progressively.

Another tip is to accompany your shaker with a bowl of food. If you take your shaker as a dessert with dinner, you will benefit from the precious proteins provided by the isolate throughout your sleep. Night-time fasting will therefore not lead to muscle erosion due to protein deficiency.

Which whey isolate to choose?

Isolate is a relatively common protein powder. Interested parties can choose from a wide range of products. So which one to choose, and how to recognize high-quality whey isolate? First and foremost, you need to look at the composition of the supplement. It' s not just the protein content that counts. Absolutely not!

The consumer must pay particular attention to the ingredients used by the producer, and especially to additives. If these ingredients have no nutritional value but are used to improve various aspects of the product, their safety has not necessarily been proven. The most recent studies even tend to show that components such as sucralose, lecithins or certain flavor additives are the cause of various disorders. To protect your health, you should therefore opt for certified additive-free isolates.

The ecological cost of industrial whey should also encourage athletes to consume locally-produced isolates. Every kilometer the product travels is as much carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

Vigilance is still called for, however, when it comes to brands offering whey isolate made in France. Some of them use milk from outside France, or even outside the EU. The ecological costs of transporting raw materials are staggering, and cause serious damage to the planet.

Before deciding on a brand, make sure that all stages of isolate production take place in France, from milk collection to filtration, as well as the packaging of the finished product.

Should women take a specific whey isolate?

There is no whey isolate for women. All the products on the market have been obtained by filtering milk. The isolate claimed to be for women will have virtually the same composition as the isolate offered by any other brand. Women can therefore turn to the same supplements as those recommended for men (except during pregnancy).

Ladies, don't worry! Isolate consumption is not associated with rapid muscle gain in women. Due to lower testosterone secretion, it's difficult for women to build impressive muscles, even with protein powder. Taking isolate will simply help them tone their muscles and improve recovery. In women's bodybuilding circles, various dangerous and banned synthetic hormones are used to gain lean mass.

It's important to remember that it's training that determines muscular effects, and whey that optimizes them. Without specific high-intensity training, using heavy loads (bodybuilding), there will be no mass gain.

Our article on whey protein for women takes an in-depth look at these issues. See also our article on protein powder intake during breastfeeding and pregnancy if you're interested.

How do I take whey isolate?

The amount of isolate to consume will vary according to your objectives. Muscle-builders should consume between 1.6 and 2 g of protein per kilogram per day, taking into account the protein already present in their daily diet. To find out exactly how much you need, you first need to estimate the amount of protein in your meals. Isolate will then be added to the protein intake.

Here's a quick illustration! Let's imagine that a young man weighing 70 kg is a body-builder and is looking to supplement his diet. In theory, during a period of mass gain, he would need to absorb 126 grams of protein per day (70 kg x 1.8). In the event that his meals provide him with 70 grams of protein, he still needs to consume enough isolate to make up the missing 56 grams, i.e. around two doses.

In our example, 56 grams of protein would have to be divided between two intakes. As a general rule, the body cannot absorb more than around thirty grams in a single intake. So we'll be taking two shakers a day , even on rest days. In any case, one of these shakers should preferably be taken immediately after training. Indeed, because of its speed of assimilation, isolate is much better suited to post-workout supplementation.

Remember that supplementation should be a source of pleasure, not a constraint. So you can take your shakers whenever you like. Ideally, however, you should set aside a shaker to fill up on amino acids immediately after your workout.

Endurance athletes can be satisfied with 20/25 grams of protein just after the workout, i.e. one dose. Here, it's important to take your whey isolate shaker just after training, between 30 minutes and 2 hours post-exercise. The aim is to help muscles repair the damage they have just sustained. Used in the right conditions, isolate speeds up recovery and optimizes the beneficial effects of training.

For more details, our article on how to take whey may help.

Is whey isolate dangerous?

In the collective unconscious, isolate is an ultra-processed product. But this is not the case. Under normal production conditions, no chemical compounds are added to the milk, and raw isolate can be said to be of natural origin.

From a certain point of view, consuming raw whey isolate is equivalent to drinking milk, purified of certain substances and concentrated in others. The raw product itself is therefore not dangerous, and is suitable for everyone. Contrary to popular belief,whey is not harmful to the heart.

Unfortunately, the subject is quite different when it comes to the ready-to-use isolates on the market. In most cases, various additives and other chemical compounds are added to raw whey isolate, to improve its appearance, taste, color, solubility... It's precisely these compounds that can be very harmful to long-term health.

As a precaution, isolate is still contraindicated for pregnant women and those suffering from kidney and/or liver disease. In people with kidney problems, taking protein powder can worsen the effects. Here again, we need to combat a popular misconception. Isolate and whey do not cause kidney disease. Nevertheless, these products are aggravating factors which can rapidly worsen the health of people already suffering from these diseases.

On the other hand, a ^study1 also reveals a worrying level of anabolic steroid contamination in whey-type products on sale on the European market.

To reduce the risk of exposure to doping, top-level athletes are well advised to opt for high-quality, additive-free, anti-doping-certified protein powders and whey. A European anti-doping standard, NF EN 17444, certifies dietary supplements as non-doping. The presence of these anti-doping certifications is essential for all sportsmen and women, and especially for top-level athletes.

Does whey isolate have any side effects?

Since it corresponds to dehydrated whey, the isolate itself has no side effects. However, this is not the case for the additives. To date, studies carried out on these compounds have cast considerable doubt on their safety, stressing the harmful effects they could have on the body.

To guard against these problems, it's best to opt for certified additive-free isolate.

Athletes in search of the lowest-calorie whey should also beware of sugar-free isolates. Some of these products contain sweeteners. These akaloric molecules give an extremely sweet taste.

Sucralose, the most widely used sweetener in the field, is said to habituate the brain to excessively sweet flavors. By choosing dietary supplements containing sucralose, or other sweeteners, we end up eating sweeter foods in our traditional diet, just when we were trying to avoid sugar.

These compounds also influence the intestinal microbiota, and may paradoxically be linked to various metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Another important point to consider when choosing whey.

Can lactose-intolerant people take whey isolate?

The isolate has undergone a much more thorough filtration process than concentrated whey. This process removes most of the lactose. However, traces of lactose may remain . Nevertheless, these traces should not trigger symptoms of intolerance, even in the most sensitive consumers.

How to replace whey isolate?

An allergy to milk protein confirmed by an allergist will prevent you from supplementing with whey. That said, you can replace the isolate with protein powder of plant origin. These proteins can be used to supplement your protein intake in the case of lactose allergy, but their amino acid profiles are not as complete and effective as whey. What's more, solvents are often used to extract these proteins, unlike whey, which is obtained by simple mechanical filtration.

¹ Analysis of Non-Hormonal Nutritional Supplements for Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids ± Results of an International Study by Geyer et al – 2004