Why is Gold Standard Whey Protein rated as the Best Protein Powder?

 

Gold Standard Whey Protein is a premium blend of whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate and whey peptides. It is extracted from the milk of cows that graze on the pastures of Ireland.

 

Whey protein is well known for its high biological value. This due to due to its balanced levels of essential amino acids, a high proportion of which is leucine, and its rapid digestion 1.

Gold Standard Whey offers second-to-none mixability for a smooth protein shake. This product has none of the clumping issues common to so many protein powders on the market today.

 

This excellent mixability is partly due to the whey peptides in the product, which are a hydrolysed form of protein. Mixability is also improved by and the phospholipid containing lecithin. This makes for a smooth and delicious protein shake, that you have no doubt put the hard yards into earning!

Photo by Optimum Nutrition CC by

Apart from fantastic mixability and quality pasture-fed protein, there are around fourteen flavours to choose from! So you won’t get stuck with standard run-of-the-mill flavours. You can try something new and exciting, like rocky road or white chocolate. Get your palate ready!

 

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard cater to the varying needs of different consumers, being the only company on the Australian market to offer five different tub sizes, beginning with 1lb and working all the way up to 10lb for the serious protein enthusiast.

Reference 1. Moore DR and Sorters PB. The Biological Value of Protein. Netlé Nutrition Institute Workshop Series. 2015 Vol 82 p.32-51

 

 Why do people get better results with Gold Standard Whey?

 

A portion of each Gold Standard Whey powder has been put through the process of hydrolysis. This serves three purposes. Firstly, hydrolysed protein is, by definition, pre-digested.

 

Hydrolysis is the process by which a protein peptide bond is broken, which makes for a shorter chain length or even a single amino acid. This is exactly what our digestive system eventually has to do to any protein that we eat, with stomach acid and proteolytic enzymes.

 

Hydrolysed protein is lighter on the stomach and generally better tolerated. Due to the fact that whey peptides do not need to be digested, the amino acids are absorbed faster, making this form of protein the fastest absorption of any protein source.

 

Whey peptides also tend to mix easier than standard protein, improving the palatability of the product.

 

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard have selected the highest quality protein powders for inclusion in their product, sourcing them from the milk of the grazing cows of Ireland.

 

Whey protein has an exceptional biological value, delivering a broad range of amino acids, including the nine essential amino acids. These are required to support general nutrition and exercise performance and recovery.

 Why is Optimum Nutrition the World’s Biggest Supplement Company?

 

Optimum Nutrition has a sterling reputation for providing premium nutrition products that also taste great, have great mouth-feel, are convenient and affordable.

 

Optimum Nutrition is owned by Glanbia, a powerhouse company that has made it their business to provide a range of dairy-based products to the global market over many decades. Glanbia's processing, manufacturing and quality assurance standards are second to none.

 

Through their commitment to quality, Glanbia and Optimum Nutrition have developed a trust with their global distributors and customers. Importantly, this trust has been earned by delivering on their promise of quality and efficacy over the course of their long business career.

 

 How long has Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey been voted the best protein powder?

ON Gold Standard 100% Whey has been voted supplement of the year and best protein of the year, 10 years in a row, and still going ... There isn’t much more to say than that!

 

 How does Gold Standard 100% Whey compare to other protein powders?

 

Gold Standard Whey Protein spares no expense in the manufacture of their products.

 

They ensure that when you crack open a fresh tub of powder, the nutrition, flavour and texture are all first class. Few companies could say that what is on the label is in the tub—without exception.

 

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard have a long history, as a branch of Glanbia Nutritionals, in providing quality dairy-based products to the consumer over many decades, with an untarnished reputation akin to polished gold.

 

Their quality assurance and manufacturing practices have been tried, tested and refined over decades, ensuring that only the finest products meeting all specifications leave their manufacturing facilities, before making their way to a store near you.

 

Grazing on the pasture-rich lands of Ireland is the perfect recipe for healthy, happy cows and high quality milk and dairy products.

 

In fact, milk derived from pasture-fed cows is of greater nutritional value, containing more Omega 3 and less Omega 6. It also contains a higher concentration of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) 1.

References
1. Couvreur S et l. The linear relationship between the proportion of fresh grass in the cow diet, milk fatty acid composition, and butter properties. Journal of Dairy Science. 2006 Vol 89;6 p.1956-1969


 How is Gold Standard Whey best used?

 

Gold Standard Whey can be taken immediately after exercise. Ideally, take it with a quality carbohydrate source, such as fruit or whole grains.

 

Carbohydrates have a synergistic effect when taken with quality protein, rich in essential amino acids.

 

Once carbohydrates are digested and absorbed, blood sugar levels elevate. Insulin is then released from the beta cells of the pancreas. Insulin allows glucose to enter a cell, but also increases amino acid uptake 1.

 

That's right! Amino acids are shunted into muscle cells by insulin! In fact, this carbohydrate/insulin synergism with quality protein and amino acids is a fantastic way to get even better results.

 

image by optimum nutrition

 

Essential amino acids, like those naturally-occurring in Gold Standard Whey, are potent activators of muscle protein synthesis 2.

 

This makes Gold Standard Whey, with an added carbohydrate food source, the perfect recipe for recovery. The carbohydrate works to quickly replenish glycogen stores in muscle tissue, as the glycogen synthase enzyme is most active immediately after training.

 

Alternatively, Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Gainer may be used as a protein and carbohydrate blend, all in one and all ready to go!

 

However, high quality protein and muscle protein synthesis (MPS) are not all about creating heaps of muscle. And they're certainly not just for bodybuilders! You may in fact be training simply to improve conditioning or to maintain muscle mass.

 

Stimulating MPS is just as important for these two goals as it is for building muscle mass. MPS is actually a normal part of healthy muscle protein turnover. For instance, it is important to take down old or worn rope from a ship  as a part of normal maintenance of that vessel.

 

Muscle protein catabolism or breakdown is the removing of this old rope. And muscle protein synthesis can be seen as the replacement with new rope.

 

Both are important parts of ship-rope turnover, or muscle protein turnover. This is why all athletes, exercise enthusiasts and wellness seekers can benefit from a high-quality protein powder, rich in essential amino acids, with a high percentage of leucine.

 

Alternatively, Gold Standard Whey may be used between meals as a snack, to reduce dependence on foods that have a higher content of sugar and fats.

 

Snacking on a protein shake with, for instance, a piece of fruit is a great way to boost muscle protein synthesis throughout the day, ensuring your daily protein requirement is met with enjoyment and ease.

 

Furthermore, Gold Standard Proteins can be taken with a low protein content meal, to improve the nutritional profile of the meal.

 

This will ensure that the negative effects of the cheat meal on muscle mass or muscle protein turnover are minimal. For many, this means less guilt and more food enjoyment! Nothing wrong with that ...

 

Gold Standard Whey Protein may be taken before exercise to increase anabolic signals during exercise. This helps to minimise the muscle-breakdown effect during exercise.

 

We do become quite catabolic during exercise, due to the effects of stress hormones like cortisol 3. However, whether you can take protein before exercise or not all depends on your individual tolerance.

 

If you want to give it a try, start with a half scoop taken in water, to assess tolerance. This pre-training method is only necessary if your focus is to increase muscle size.

 

An interesting piece of research was published in 2016 by the Physiological Reports indicating that, regardless of body size or muscle quantity, 40g was superior to 20g of whey protein isolate in stimulating muscle protein synthesis 4.

 

This was a very interesting finding, and turned a few pre-conceived notions of adequate protein dosing on their heads. However, increasing your dosage beyond that of a typical 30g serve may only be useful if you are specifically targeting muscle growth and muscle size, power or strength.

 

References

1. Wolfe R. R. Regulation of Muscle Protein by Amino Acids. The Journal of Nutrition. 2002 Vol 132 3219S-3224S
2. Churchward-Venne et al. Supplementation of a suboptimal protein dose with leucine or essential amino acids: effects of myofibrillar protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in men. The Journal of Physiology. 2012 p.2751-2765
3. Hill E.E., et al. Exercise and circulating cortisol levels: the intensity threshold effect. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, 2008 Vol 31;7 p.587-591
4. Macnaughton L.S., et al. The response of muscle protein synthesis following whole-body resistance exercise is greater following 40g than 20g of ingested whey protein. Physiological Reports, 2016 Vol 4;5 p.1-13

 Who should use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein?

 

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein is useful for so much more than sports nutrition. To explain this with some more clarity lets run through the constituents of protein, and what they are used for in the body.

 

Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein contains all nine essential amino acids (EAAs), the newest addition to the rank of which is histidine, which was previously believed to only be essential for infants and children 1. These amino acids are some of the building blocks of whey protein, like the links in a chain.

 

We are in fact dependent on the EAAs for survival. And though we do not see many cases of people starving from poor amino acid nutrition in developed nations, EAAs can certainly be supplemented for optimal nutrition.
Optimum Nutrition for optimal nutrition?

 

 

Let’s take a look at some of the EAAs and how they are used in the human body. One very important EAA is tryptophan, which actually is not even found in muscle tissue. It is, however, required for serotonin production, 95% of which is located in the gastrointestinal tract, with a small amount found in the brain 2.

 

Therefore, tryptophan is crucially important for digestion and absorption of food components like … protein. Tryptophan is also needed to support mood and help with the sleep cycle by supporting melatonin synthesis via the pineal gland at night. Furthermore, the liver can actually use tryptophan to synthesize vitamin B3, or nicotinamide 3.

 

Science is a weird and wacky world, right? Last but not least, tryptophan is required for kynurenine synthesis, which is required to protect the eyes from UV damage, and balance neurotransmitter signals in the brain. And tryptophan is just one of the nine essential amino acids needed for health …and then there’s the conditionally essential amino acids,and non essential amino acids, which can also be helpful in some instances.

So, who should use Gold Standard Whey Protein? Well, simply put, anyone who does not have enough high quality protein in their diet (unless you are vegan, have milk or soy allergies, or are extremely lactose intolerant).

 

Given the importance of the EAAs for health, a high quality protein shake can act like a general tonic when one is not eating enough quality protein food. Vegetarians and pescetarians may also find it more difficult to obtain enough quality protein, especially if they are active and their daily protein requirement is higher.

 

As Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey is dairy-based, vegans will be better suited to Gold Standard Plant, which is an all-natural vegan-friendly protein powder.

 

Another group of people that may find benefit from Gold Standard Whey are the elderly, and anyone experiencing muscle wasting or sarcopenic obesity. Sarcopenic obesity occurs when body fat levels are higher than normal, with muscle mass lower than normal.

 

And though the individual may be of a normal body weight and appear to be of a normal size, they would in fact benefit from body composition changes 4. Furthermore, as we age our hydrochloric acid levels decrease (hypochlorhydria), which negatively impacts our ability to digest protein food. To top this off, anabolic signals derived from hormones tend to decrease on a year by year basis after the age of 25-30. This all points one towards a greater need for quality protein.

 

And what could be better than an easily mixed, pleasant tasting whey protein powder to provide a nutritional solution? Last but not least is the area of sports nutrition.

 

Given that anyone who is physically active, be it powerlifter, crossfit enthusiast or bricklayer, has a greater protein requirement, a protein shake is a convenient way to ensure that those needs are met.

 

Additionally, given the high quality of the whey protein used in Gold Standard Whey Protein, this powder will deliver an abundance of amino acids to the body and support general adaptation and healthy protein turnover in muscle tissue.

 

References

1. Kopple JD and Swendseid ME. Evidence that histidine is an essential amino acid in normal and chronically ureic men. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 1975 Vol 55 p.881-891
2. Sanger GJ. 5-hydroxytryptamine and the gastrointestinal tract: where next? Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 2008 Vol 29;9 p.465-471
3. Fukuwatari T and Shibata K. Nutritional aspects of tryptophan metabolism. International Journal of Tryptophan Research. 2013 Vol 6 p.3-8
4. Shafiee G et al. Prevalence of sarcopenia in the world: a systematic review and meta- analysis of general population studies. Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders. 2017 Vol 16

 Are other Optimum Nutrition products any good?

 

You bet! Optimum Nutrition deliver a range of sports nutrition and lifestyle products, including mass gainer proteins, pre-workouts, creatine, glutamine and hydrolysed whey protein, to name a few. Optimum Nutrition only include the highest quality ingredients, backed by scientific research, to ensure that their products deliver on consumer expectations.

 

 

Let’s take a look at just one of their products in a little more depth, as we would need a novel - a good, juicy novel, that is - in order to cover them all. Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder contains nothing other than pure Creapure, regarded in the industry as the highest quality creatine monohydrate in the world.

 

Nothing less than the best finds its way into an Optimum Nutrition product. Of course, there are cheaper sources of creatine available, many of which are imported from China. However, the quality assurance and quality control methods used in these countries are not regarded as boundary-breaking.

 

 

On the other hand, if you are a vegetarian powerlifter, then creatine is likely to be an exceptional nutrient to help you achieve your goals. In both of these examples, we have differing creatine intakes through normal diet. For instance, our body normally synthesises its own creatine at an average rate of about 1 gram per day from the amino acids arginine, glycine and methionine, which primarily occurs in the liver 1.

 

And most people consuming a mixed diet, including meat and fish, take in about 1 gram per day as well. Therefore, vegans, vegetarians, and to a lesser degree pescetarians, will have a lower dietary creatine intake and therefore benefit more from supplementation.

One then has to ask the question, though the creatine is of a high quality, is it necessarily a beneficial supplement to take? And this is always a great question to ask, and one the author constantly asks himself with any product. With regards to creatine, there are many factors that determine whether this is going to support your exercise, recovery and body composition goals.

 

For instance, if you are a omnivorous long-distance runner, who has no interest in carrying more muscle weight, and simply wants to improve the efficiency of those muscles, then creatine is unlikely to be the nutrient to help you achieve your goals.

 

But wait, there’s more! We also have to consider the types of exercises being performed and the goals we wish to achieve. Creatine has been demonstrated in clinical trials to be of benefit in exercises lasting up to 3 minutes 2. This makes sense, given that creatine is used to build our phosphocreatine stores, which are used to support anaerobic ATP synthesis.

 

Anaerobic ATP generation is heavily relied upon during exercises of an explosive and short-duration nature-we simply couldn’t sustain this type of activity for long. Examples of these types of exercises are sprinting and low to medium repetition weight lifting.

 

 

Interesting research has also highlighted the ability of creatine, via oral supplementation, to improve mood in unipolar depression, boost intelligence and support working memory 3,4. The reasons for this, at least in part, may be due to increased neuronal ATP availability. Additionally, creatine may have a methionine-sparing effect, which would allow more methionine to be converted to s-adenosylmethionine.

 

Therefore, the meat-eating long distance runner has a normal dietary intake and a low reliance upon the phsophocreatine energy system. On the other hand, the vegetarian powerlifter has a low dietary intake and a high reliance upon the phosphocreatine energy system, making one of these athletes pretty excited about cracking open a new tub of Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder. 

 

Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Powder is a high quality product that is useful for a range of power-based exercises, can supplement a low dietary intake, and may also be used to support general cognition and mood. Optimum Nutrition products go above and beyond typical quality standards and expectations of efficacy, delivering you with safe and affordable products that deliver more than most could ever expect.which can be a powerful mood booster for unipolar depression 5,6. After all, some of our important methionine resources are used for synthesizing creatine.

 

References
1. Persky A and Brazeau G. Clinical pharmacology of the dietary supplement creatine monohydrate. Pharmacology Reviews. 2001 Vol 53 p.161-176
2. Lanhers C et al. Creatine Supplementation and Upper Limb Strength Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. 2017 Vol 47 p.163-173
3. Roitman S et al. Creatine Monohydrate in resistant depression: a preliminary study. Bipolar Disorders. 2007 Vol 9;7 p.954-958
4. Rae C et al. Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation improves brain performance: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial. Proceedings. Biological Sciences. 2003 Vol 270;1529 p.2147-2150
5. Brosnan JT et al. The metabolic burden of creatine synthesis. Amino Acids. 2011 Vol 40;5 p.1325-1331
6. Mischoulon D and Fava M. Role of S-adenosyl-l-methionine in the treatment of depression: a review of the evidence. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2002 Vol 76;5 p.1158S-1161S

 Who owns Optimum Nutrition and are they trustworthy?   

 

  Photo by Glanbia PLC CC by

http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1014516.shtml

 

Glanbia Performance Nutrition (GPN) is the number one global performance nutrition brand portfolio comprising Optimum Nutrition, BSN, Isopure, thinkThin, Nutramino, ABB, Body & Fit and Amazing Grass, each with its own brand essence.

 

Glanbia plc is a global nutrition group with operations in 32 countries. It has leading market positions in sports nutrition, cheese, dairy ingredients, speciality non-dairy ingredients and vitamin and mineral premixes. Originally, and still to this day, Glanbia are an Irish Dairy company that is now a vertically integrated business model. Quite simply, this means they own “cow to tub.” This fact means Optimum Nutrition own every aspect, from the supply of ingredients all the way through to the end product. They don’t solely rely on contract manufacturers, although they do use, depending upon the region in the international business outside of North America.

 

TRUST is the underlying principle of this company. Everything they do and make will never compromise on “TRUST.” All ingredients are tested inbound, which means they will turn away anything that doesn’t meet the company’s quality and taste profile for each specific product and ingredient. In-house manufacturing ensures Glanbia are in control of everything that goes into all its products. This helps build consumer trust and faith that what the end consumer thinks is in the tub is actually in the tub. Not many companies in the world can state the same and would be willing to stake shareholder investments on this fact.

 

Glanbia are recognising the huge world-wide demand to “Banned Substance Tested” products and subscribe to the use of Informed Choice testing. This means that those products nominated have had the ingredients tested at multiple stages through the manufacturing process and the batch numbers are placed on an independent web site verifying of the claim Banned Substance Tested.

 

Glanbia Performance Nutrition (GPN) is the number one global performance nutrition brand portfolio comprising Optimum Nutrition, BSN, Isopure, thinkThin, Nutramino, ABB, Body & Fit and Amazing Grass, each with its own brand essence.Our mission is to inspire consumers everywhere to achieve their performance and healthy lifestyle goals.

 

We produce the full range of performance nutrition products with broad consumer appeal, and we are the market leader in innovation and new product development. Whether it's a protein smoothie in the morning, a pre-workout energy drink, a post work-out protein shake to repair and build muscle, or an on-the-go protein bar, professional athletes and everyday fitness enthusiasts all over the world rely on GPN products for their nutritional needs.

 

Official Statement

At ON we are proud to know that we are one of the few sports nutrition companies who own and operate our own production facilities. While it's true that ON is one of the world's largest producers of sports nutrition products, we remain focused on being recognised as the best. In fact, our requirements for raw materials are so strenuous that it's not unusual for ON Quality Assurance Technicians to reject entire truckloads of raw materials that do not meet our high standards. We like to think that we take as much pride & care in crafting our award-winning supplements as our consumers do with crafting their physiques and fitness accomplishments.

  
THERE IS ONLY ONE GOLD STANDARD Optimum Nutrition's Award Winning supplements have consistently delivered the Highest Quality products to athletes across the globe - Here's a brief look at how

 

Optimum Nutrition's Award Winning supplements have consistently delivered the Highest Quality products to athletes across the globe -- Here is a brief look at how ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOoe0RYok_8

 

The History of Whey Protein

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKHmntffl8c