Soy Protein vs Whey Protein : A Comparative Study

Most of our daily diet, proteins form an important ingredient which help muscles to grow among other things. There are also those amino acids present in proteins which equally contribute to body growth and this is why most athletes are usually advised to take a lot of proteins in their diet. In addition, proteins are among the macro nutrients and are commonly found in meat, eggs, whole grain products but not all of them and vegetables like legumes, nuts and seeds.


When one eats proteins, they are first broken down into amino acids where there are 20 kinds of them. Owing to the fact that our bodies are capable of making 11 amino acids, it means that we do not need to get much of them from food. The other remaining 9 amino acids we have to get them from foods and that is why they are referred to as essential amino acids. According to the National Research Council report, it recommends that human beings consume about 0.4g protein per lb. of body weight. This may not be similar to other reports for example US reports but ideally that is how it should be. Consider the following two categories of proteins and deduce some contrasts plus a general conclusion;
 

Whey Proteins
This is basically found in cow’s milk where it is mainly obtained from cheese. Whenever a mild acidic substance is added to milk, a yogurt or curd is formed where the liquid part of it is what is called whey. There are other ways of forming whey but this is the very basic and easiest one. Whey proteins have the highest Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) ranking of about 1.14 amongst other proteins. PDCAAS is a mechanism of measuring the effectiveness of a particular protein where according to various tests it has also indicated the highest biological value on whey proteins.

Whey proteins are very common with athletes because they have proved to help in building muscle and increase strength. There are so many sources of whey protein apart from the ones mentioned. Others include milk, as well as meal-replacement drinks and protein powders. If you are wondering on what are some of the health benefits of taking whey proteins, here they are;

•    They help body builders to increase their muscle power.
•     They are of great beneficial to your body health more especially if taken in proper proportions.
•    In one way or the other, they contribute a lot in losing weight and improving the digestive system.
•      They strengthen the immune system and enhance general vitality of the body.
 

 Soy Protein
The sole source of these kinds of proteins is soy beans and since their discovery, researchers are still working hard to know some of the benefits of soy beans. Whenever somebody misses these proteins, their close substitutes are animal proteins. While most vegetable proteins are said to be incomplete proteins, soy proteins are considered by some to be a complete proteins. In most cases, you can easily compare in terms of quality these proteins with animal-based sources. Soy proteins have low saturated fat content but they portray powerful antioxidant properties that have been shown to play a role in lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease.

In addition, soy proteins form a better alternative to those who may not want to take milk or even other animal products. You can eat soy protein whenever you would have normally consumed any other protein source. Other sources of soy proteins are; tofu, miso, tempeh, soymilk, soy protein powder and some meal-replacement drinks. Some of the health benefits of soy Proteins include;

•      Since soy proteins contain vitamin D, people with little exposure to sun can greatly benefit from taking a lot of these proteins.
•    They assist in reducing the amount of cholesterol in the body.
•    Cardiac related problems are taken care of when person takes a lot of soy proteins.
•    They control to a larger extent diseases like; cancer, diabetes, obesity and others.
•  These proteins are very effective to women with hormonal imbalances and greatly help in post-menopause problems.

Conclusion
Soy and whey proteins are both healthy additions to any balanced diet. To some extent, soy proteins form a smart choice more especially to somebody who likes taking a lot of vegetables. A glass of milk is also a solid source of whey proteins, but if you have specific fitness or performance goals you want to achieve, you might want to explore more on supplementing the diet with additional whey or soy protein products.