3 replies to this topic

[ironfistx]

Is pea protein an alternative to whey protein?  Is it a complete protein?  I read somewhere it is not, and somewhere it is, and I read it does not have BCAA.  What brands do you like?  Should I really consider it?

[Baten]

It's fine. I think there's a lot of marketing around whey and milk-based proteins, really...

[Multivitz]

Globular proteins are a bit naughty so they say!

[Darryl]

All natural food proteins are complete if you eat enough of them. Some just have amino acid profiles with higher growth promoting BCAAs, for better and (with regards to longevity), worse, and some have amino acids in proportions more similar to human requirements (so that less is theoretically required). In the first category would be dairy isolates like whey or casein. In the latter category there's a scoring (by DIAAS)  of casein > whey > potato > egg > soy > pea > other beans > most grains > corn.

 

Of course hereabouts some of us are seeking to reduce dietary protein for potential longevity benefits, particularly some amino acids like methionine and perhaps tryptophan (restriction of which increase mammalian lifespan). So high methionine egg whites are right out and soy (which is favored precisely because it combines the high lysine of legumes with the higher methionine of grains) is iffy.

 

I like pea protein's amino profile compared to others, but if you're seeking muscle hypertrophy rather than longevity, I'd go with the whey. As for myself, one can't very well both restrict protein and supplement it.