aleksander-saks-R23MqZKCBcM-unsplash

Hello. I'm YAYA â½, the fitness reporter for Yak Al..

‘I'm sure you've all searched for 'protein supplements' before...

The variety is just so overwhelming, and the names are like secret codesâit makes my head throb with pain ã ã

‘From products with a 'gym rat' vibe to ones that catch your eye with the word 'diet,' they all look great..

I've also experienced that feeling of shopping carts piling up with appealing products while having no idea which one to actually buy..

‘Wouldn't it be better to establish my own criteria and choose??’

So I started developing my own method for choosing protein supplements,

and now I have ‘the!’ intuition to pinpoint products among all the options..

Today I want to share that know-how with you..

Before you order just anything, let's take some time to think it through together.?

Alright, let's get started.!

★Before we begin,★

before choosing a protein supplement, the most important thing to check is this:!!!

Do you want to build muscle??

Or do you want to gain weight??

If you want to build muscle, you should choose a protein supplement.It's suitable for helping with quick muscle recovery and growth after exercise..

.

On the other hand, if you're very lean and want to gain weight overall, then a?

carbohydrate-rich gainer is more appropriate..

In such cases, you can check the nutrition label.If carbohydrates per serving are low compared to protein, it's a protein supplement.,

Personally, close to 0g is ideal, but about 1/4 or 1/5 the amount of protein also seems acceptable for a protein supplement.

(.),

If the carbohydrate content is higher than protein, you can judge it as a gainer..

1. Protein Cost

Protein supplements vary in price, weight, and protein content..

Therefore, the price per gram of protein is bound to vary widely..

I researched over 200 products and,

regardless of protein source, I have extensive data on the price per gram of protein,,

which I'll share with you.!

The average price per gram of protein supplement is approximately 81.5 won,and the median is approximately 70.2, won..

If you compare these figures with supplements you plan to purchase in the future, I believe it will help you make smarter buying decisions..

2. Protein Source

The second thing to check is ‘the protein source.’.

Even with the same protein supplement, the absorption rate and effectiveness can vary completely depending on what the source is..

Common sources include whey, casein, eggs, meat, and soy, and one of the standards for comparing these is,

biological value (BV). ).

Biological value is a numerical indicator of how well protein is absorbed and utilized by the body..

Let's score protein sources based on biological value.?

Protein Source	Biological Value	Score
Whey Protein	100	100
Beef Protein	80	80
Casein Protein	77	75
Soy Protein	74	70

Whey Protein (Whey):): Highest biological value (100). Leucine content 14%, optimal for muscle synthesis.. → 100 points awarded.
Beef Protein:: Good absorption rate, but with 8% leucine, somewhat disadvantageous for muscle growth.. → 80 points awarded. (Actually, there were no protein supplements with beef protein, so just enjoy reading this ãã))
Casein Protein:: Slow digestion, suitable for nighttime use, lower overall absorption rate.. ⇒ 75 points
awarded. Soy Protein:: Imbalanced amino acid composition, lower absorption rate.. ⇒ 70 points

awarded. If you check the paper below, you can see the difference in the speed of muscle hypertrophy depending on biological value.!

Tang, Jason E., et al. "Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men." Journal of applied physiology (2009).

3. Certification Marks

The simplest mark that can give consumers confidence when choosing products is ‘certification marks.’.

From functionality and safety to hygienic manufacturing environment and quality management standards,

the government or international organizations officially guarantee these, so if a product is certified,,

as a consumer, there's no more reason to worry..

That's why in this section, I evaluated the certification marks based on credibility and clear standards,and as follows, I gave 100 points to all items..

Health Functional Foods: : Both functionality and safety are scientifically reviewed, and it's the only domestically credible certification directly approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Therefore, I awarded 100 points..
GMP : GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice): The government manages the hygiene, quality, and consistency of manufacturing processes. In particular, GMP in the health functional foods sector has the same standing as HACCP and is a key standard for safely producing functional products, so I awarded 100 points..
HACCP: HACCP is a food safety management certification standardâ, a hygiene management system that prevents hazards in advance.It requires quality standards similar to those of health functional food GMP, and especially requires safety to be ensured in raw material, mixing, and packaging processes, so certification is only possible, if these are met, which is why I awarded 100 points..
US and International Certifications (NSF, USP, Informed Choice, Informed Sport): These are safety, quality assurance, and anti-doping test certifications issued by US and international organizations. While the areas covered by each differ,, they are specialized and trustworthy international certifications,so I awarded 100 points..

4. Quality Assessment Items

Once you've looked at the protein source and certification marks, the next thing to check is quality assessment itemsâyou just need to look at three things briefly..

Lactose Intolerance:

Given statistics showing that approximately 75% of Koreans have lactose intolerance,

it's an important factor to consider since many people cannot break down lactose..

Therefore, I scored as follows:.

Source	Score
WPI	100
WPI+WPC	50
WPC	0

People with lactose intolerance may experience bloating, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and gas..

Therefore, products using isolated whey protein are awarded 100 points,,

products with mixed lactose are awarded 50 points,,

and products with no lactose removed at all are awarded 0 points..

If you're confused by all the English! Look at the nutrition label for isolate products with I in them.!

BCAA Addition:

Considering the paper below, BCAA BCAA is not a supplement that dramatically enhances exercise performance,,

but it definitely helps speed up post-workout recovery and reduce muscle damage..

Therefore, I awarded a total of 30 points in the quality assessment items score..

Lee, Sang-jae. "The Effects of BCAA Intake on Exercise Performance, Skeletal Muscle Changes, CPK and LDH in Bodybuilders." Master's thesis, Pusan National University Graduate School, 2019. Busan.

Hydrolyzed Protein Addition:

Hydrolyzed protein is made by breaking down protein into smaller pieces beforehand,

which has the advantage of being easier to digest and faster to absorb..

The article below shows that hydrolyzed protein (LWCP) has faster digestion and absorption than WPI or ISP and

is of superior quality..

Lee, Jin A., et al. "Determination of the protein quality of low-molecular weight water-soluble chicken breast powder by a protein digestibility corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) analysis." (2022): 439-447.

5. Secondary Component Assessment Items

Finally, the last thing to look at is secondary component assessment items..

What are the secondary component assessment items??

First, taste;, second, vitamins;, and third, minerals.Let's look at these.!

Taste:

I'm sure we've all tried a protein supplement at least once before.

The biggest reason it's hard to consume is probably because of taste.?

What good is it if it's good for your body but tastes bad?..

When something tastes bad, your body feels like it's getting worse...

That's why taste is one of the important factors to consider!.

I scored taste as shown in the table below:.

Taste	Score
Chocolate, Cookies and Cream	100
Other (Strawberry, Coffee, etc.)..)	80
Unflavored	50

The reason I allocated 50 out of 100 total points in the secondary component assessment items to taste is that

I personally believe it's the most important among the remaining secondary component assessment items,,

and given that protein supplements need to be consumed continuously, if the taste is good,

it becomes a major advantage..

While taste in this section will depend a lot on individual preferences,,

looking back, chocolate and cookies and cream flavors seem to guarantee a certain level of taste,

so I gave chocolate and cookies and cream perfect scores..

Other flavors like strawberry and coffee have varying appeal, so I awarded them a slightly lower 80 points.,

For products with 'unflavored' taste, I awarded the baseline score of 50 points..

Vitamin Addition:

We get vitamins from food,,

and if protein supplements we eat daily also contain vitamins, I thought it would be an additional plus factor..

While vitamins don't have a direct impact on muscle growth,,

I thought of them as factors that help with antioxidant activity and immune function, so I awarded a total of 20 points..

Mineral Addition:

Biometals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc are much more than just nutrients..

Zinc affects testosterone synthesis,,

magnesium is essential for muscle relaxation and nerve transmission,.

iron helps with oxygen transport,

and calcium is essential for bone health as well as nerve transmission and muscle contraction..

That's why I score minerals as follows: if3 or more minerals are added, 100 points;, if 2, then 60 points;, if 1, then 30 points;, if none, then 0 points(regardless of type).

!)

So far, this solo concert ð¤ by the Fit Reporter YAYA ⚽âhow was it??

Do you feel like you've developed your own know-how for choosing protein supplements??

Actually, what's a 'good product' can vary from person to person..

The components that work for your body, the goal you're aiming for, and most importantly, a choice you can feel confident aboutâthese are what matter most..

So if this article helped you establish your own criteria,

I couldn't ask for anything more..

Thank you for reading, and I hope this has been a small help toward your healthy lifestyle..

Let's all be smarter about getting our protein! Goodbye!!