There are plenty of different types of protein supplements out there to buy, but what is the difference between them.
BCAA
BCAA contains just of 3 essential amino acids. They are Valine, Leucine and Isoleucine. They are a sub set of what you will get with EAA.
EAA
EAA are all 8 essential amino acids. The EAA are the amino acids your body can’t produce by its own, and you have to consume it. They are just a sub set you will get with Whey.
Natural Protein
Depending on the natural protein you will have a different variety of amino acids. There are complete and non-complete proteins. A complete protein contains all essential amino acids.
Collagen
Collagen is not a complete protein. It is heavily concentrated (around 50%) in three amino acids: glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. It’s used for joint, skin and hair health and not primarily for muscle growth.
Whey
Whey is a complete protein, which is not plant-based. It has the best bioavailability and is the most used protein in bodybuilding for muscle growth.
Pea
Pea is also a complete protein. It’s a very common plant-based alternative for whey. It has very little methionine, so it’s often mixed with other plant-based proteins like rice.
You can get the natural proteins in 3 types of quality: Concentrate, Isolate and Hydrolysate.
- Concentrate: Contains some fat and carbs (especially lactose), most inexpensive
- Isolate: Filtered Concentrate contains less than 1% fat and carbs, moderately expensive
- Hydrolysate: Proteins already split into smaller amino acid chains, most expensive