Question: Why Do So Many Whey Protein Supplements Contain Carbs?

Question:

I find it annoying that so many whey protein supplements contain carbs when people buying protein are doing so because they want to avoid carbs! Why is this?

Answer:

Don’t be so quick to buy into the ‘carbs are bad’ brigade. Anything not in moderation is bad – carbs are just one nutrient. Carbs which add up to more calories than maintenance will be used for energy and to build muscle if you train, and any extra not used for training and building muscle will be stored as fat.

There are also different types of carbs: simple and complex.

Many whey protein supplements do contain various carbs for the simple reason that studies have shown whey protein is better absorbed when taken with carbs, due to greater insulin release – a phenomenon particularly helpful post-workout, when most protein supplements are best taken, as insulin helps usher more nutrients into the muscles – including protein.

Whey protein supplements with a lot of other ingredients in will tend to mean a lower purity of whey protein, which is why many opt for purchasing higher purity whey protein and taking in separate carbs – or even carbohydrate supplements – at the same time.

If you truly want to avoid carbs, just make sure you purchase a higher purity whey and check the ingredients. It’s that simple.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2009 at 4:08 pm and is filed under Whey Protein Questions & Answers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.