WHEY OR NAY? - WHEY PROTEIN - IS IT SAFE?
'Anabolic steroids have been covered in articles for years. Topics such as ‘roid rage and heart attacks being the main headlines. This is a completely different product.'
Things are very different these days compared to when I was growing up and I’m not even referring to the particularly unusual year that is 2020. The best part of 20 years ago when I was in high school and playing rugby you got match fit by running around the field at the start and end of practice. It wasn’t very complicated but that’s what all the schools did. The teams that had more success either had a bigger school and therefore more players to pick between or there was another factor, if your side had bigger and stronger players. This mostly came about through players having older brothers, or they came from a farming background. Not through weight training. The coach would have thought you’d had one too many strikes to the skull if you asked for a nutrition plan.
Now-a-days sports science, strength & conditioning and nutrition is a huge part of sport at any level. Throw in the added pressure to be ‘ripped’ or ‘jacked’ through social media and every young person is feeling the need to take the latest product to achieve it. Whey protein shakes are top of this pile.
‘Should my 16 year old son take a whey protein shake? Is it safe? All of his friends are!’ asked one of my clients. I replied by saying it depends on whether he needs it and if he does, you don’t need to worry about them being dangerous. I could tell she wasn’t sure if they were a form of steroid. Whey protein shakes are closer to baby formula than an injectable anabolic steroid. In fact baby formula often has Whey in its ingredient list. So, what is it exactly? Whey comes from milk and when milk is met with a coagulating agent it mostly turns into cheese. The liquid that does not coagulate is whey. When I’ve said in the passed that whey protein shakes are similar to milk or cottage cheese, I’m not exactly correct but not too far off.
Let’s look at the question, ‘Are they safe?’, in more detail. Whey protein shakes, especially for older generations and people that are unfamiliar to bodybuilding, sports science and exercise nutrient can seem unsafe when covered with photos of Phil Heath. Though this is a misrepresentation of what you’ll become if taking a shake after training. Anabolic steroids have been covered in articles and documentaries for years. Topics such as ‘roid rage, reduced genital size and heart attacks being the main headlines. This is a completely different product. Cycling your bike in your backyard is not the same as Evil Knievel’s jump over the Grand Canyon just because you are both on two wheels. This is a food source created with dairy based protein along with other vitamins and minerals, all of which are safe and there are no studies showing otherwise. Even if your whey protein shake contains Creatine this shouldn’t be a concern as it has also no studies to back claims that it’s bad for your kidneys.
Whey Protein shakes are a fast acting protein source that will help your muscles recover after exercise. The body needs protein to repair and build muscle and this is one of the best products for that purpose. When combined with regular challenging resistance training it has the ability to increase lean muscle mass. If you’re consuming enough protein through your diet I wouldn’t suggest an additional shake. You will not loss ‘gainz’ or remain ‘small’ due to a lack of protein shake. As I always say, supplements are not what will make you a better athlete or the reason you get the body composition you want. Though some of them are useful and have positive studies. Whey protein is one of those.
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