Best Protein Powders for Muscle & Longevity (+ Exact Dose & Timing Guide)

[00:00] A large study from the Clean Label

[00:01] Project demonstrated that 70% of protein

[00:04] powders are contaminated with heavy

[00:05] metals. And even if your protein powder

[00:07] is clean, recent studies have also

[00:09] demonstrated that not all types of

[00:11] protein powder are equal. Some types are

[00:13] better at muscle growth and at long-term

[00:16] health than other types. And if you're

[00:18] like me, hearing this triggered a

[00:19] million questions in your head, such as,

[00:21] "How do I know my protein powder is

[00:23] clean? And what ingredients should I be

[00:25] avoiding? Should I be taking whey

[00:26] isolate or concentrate or a plant-based?

[00:29] Does grass-fed matter? And how much

[00:30] protein should I take and when? Well, as

[00:32] a licensed medical doctor and certified

[00:34] strength and conditioning specialist,

[00:35] I'm here to answer all these questions

[00:37] and more so you can choose the optimal

[00:39] protein powder for you for muscle health

[00:42] and longevity. But to really determine

[00:44] which protein powder is best, we first

[00:45] have to talk about the true importance

[00:47] of dosing and timing of protein.

[00:49] Multiple recent studies have

[00:51] demonstrated that total protein intake

[00:52] throughout the day is hands down the

[00:55] most important variable for muscle

[00:56] growth. In other words, your total

[00:58] protein content is much more important

[01:00] than the time at which you take that

[01:02] protein throughout the day. And studies

[01:03] again are pretty consistent on how much

[01:05] protein you need for that optimal muscle

[01:07] growth. Studies note that you need 1.6

[01:09] to 2.2 g of protein per kilogram of body

[01:14] weight per day for optimal muscle

[01:15] growth. So, if you're a 175 lb male or

[01:18] 80 kg, you would need 128 to 176 g of

[01:22] protein per day. If you have a very

[01:25] active lifestyle, you move towards the

[01:27] higher end of this range. And the older

[01:29] you are and the more training

[01:30] experience, you'll also move towards the

[01:32] higher end of this range. Reason for

[01:34] this is something called anabolic

[01:35] resistance. Essentially, the older you

[01:37] are and the more training experience,

[01:39] the more resistant your muscles get to

[01:41] an anabolic stimulus to build muscle.

[01:44] You'll need more and more protein in

[01:45] order to continue to maintain that

[01:48] muscle growth. And if you're in a

[01:49] cutting season or trying to lose fat

[01:51] mass while still maintaining your muscle

[01:54] mass, you might need even more than that

[01:56] 2.2 g per kilogram. Studies have noted

[01:58] that you might need even up to 2.3 to

[02:00] 3.1 g per kilogram of fat-free mass,

[02:04] which is a ton of protein, in order to

[02:06] maintain muscle mass in times of severe

[02:08] caloric restriction. However, it's not

[02:10] just the more the better when it comes

[02:12] to protein. Too much protein can also be

[02:14] a bad thing. High high protein diets

[02:17] increase nitrogen load that the liver

[02:19] and kidneys have to process out and

[02:21] excrete and this can strain these

[02:23] organs. Studies have shown that chronic

[02:25] protein intakes of greater than 2 g per

[02:28] kilogram per day can cause these risks.

[02:31] However, this is generally in

[02:32] individuals with chronic kidney disease

[02:34] or gastrointestinal problems.

[02:36] Conversely, patients who are otherwise

[02:38] healthy and have a very active lifestyle

[02:40] generally require more protein in order

[02:43] to maintain proper muscle function and

[02:45] muscle growth. And for this reason,

[02:47] research indicates that short-term

[02:49] protein intakes of even up to 3.5 g per

[02:52] kilogram in these individuals are

[02:54] generally safe and well tolerated. All

[02:56] that being said, my general

[02:57] recommendation for protein intake is to

[02:59] keep it around 2 g per kilogram per day

[03:02] in order to avoid the risks of high

[03:04] nitrogen load and to still get optimal

[03:07] muscle growth from a generally high

[03:09] protein diet. However, if you're in a

[03:11] season where you're cutting weight, then

[03:13] short-term higher amounts of protein up

[03:15] to 3.5 g per kilogram can be okay in the

[03:18] short term. But for the long term, keep

[03:20] it around that 2 g per kilogram level.

[03:22] So, does it even matter when you take in

[03:24] all that protein? Well, while it doesn't

[03:26] matter as much as total protein intake,

[03:28] timing does matter somewhat. And hands

[03:30] down the most important timing

[03:32] consideration is to spread your protein

[03:34] out evenly throughout the day.

[03:36] Specifically, studies note that it would

[03:37] be ideal to spread your protein out to

[03:39] about four meals throughout the day. So,

[03:42] for a total protein intake of 1.6 to 2.2

[03:45] g per kilogram, that would amount to

[03:46] about 04 to 0.55 g per kilogram per

[03:50] those four meals throughout the day. The

[03:52] reason this makes sense scientifically

[03:53] is due to the fact that muscle protein

[03:55] synthesis or MPS has both a ceiling and

[03:59] a refractory period. The ceiling

[04:01] essentially means that there is a point

[04:03] at which giving additional protein won't

[04:05] really stimulate muscle growth further.

[04:07] In other words, once you maximally

[04:09] stimulate MPS, giving additional protein

[04:12] won't build more muscle. And this point

[04:14] of maximally stimulating NPS is thought

[04:17] to be at about 3 to 4 g of leucine or

[04:20] the most important amino acid for muscle

[04:22] growth. And 3 to 4 g of lucine is found

[04:24] in about 30 to 40 g of high quality

[04:26] protein which happens to be about4 to.55

[04:30] g per kilogram for the average weight

[04:33] individual. And it's also worth noting

[04:34] that anabolic resistance also plays a

[04:36] role here. So, if you're younger and

[04:38] have not trained as much, then you might

[04:39] be a able to maximally stimulate MPS

[04:42] with only 2.5 grams of leucine or 25

[04:44] grams of high quality protein. But

[04:46] regardless, whether it's 2.5 or 4 g of

[04:49] lucine, giving anything past this point.

[04:51] So, giving 50, 60, 70 g of protein is

[04:54] not going to be much different for

[04:56] optimal muscle growth compared to just

[04:58] giving that 40 g. So, now you might be

[05:00] saying, okay, what if I just give 40

[05:02] gram every hour on the hour? Well, the

[05:04] reason that doesn't work is the

[05:06] refractory period. Essentially, once you

[05:08] stimulate MPS maximally with that 30 to

[05:11] 40 g of protein, then you have to wait 3

[05:13] to 4 hours before you can stimulate it

[05:15] again. And here again then is where we

[05:17] arrive at 04 to 0.55 g per kilogram of

[05:21] protein spread out every 3 to 4 hours

[05:24] throughout your day for about four

[05:25] protein heavy meals throughout the day.

[05:27] But what about timing protein intake

[05:28] around your workout? Does that also

[05:30] matter? Well, resistance training also

[05:32] stimulates muscle protein synthesis and

[05:34] also causes temporary muscle breakdown.

[05:36] So, it's thought that there's this

[05:38] anabolic window or window of opportunity

[05:41] in which after you work out, it becomes

[05:43] then super important to give protein

[05:45] during this window so you can maximally

[05:47] stimulate muscle growth. However, how

[05:49] long this anabolic window lasts and how

[05:52] important it is to actually take in

[05:53] protein during it has been heavily

[05:55] debated as of late. Initial studies

[05:57] demonstrated that there was an anabolic

[05:59] window that lasted only 30 to 60 minutes

[06:02] after you exercise. So, it was super

[06:04] important to take in protein during this

[06:06] time to maximally stimulate muscle

[06:08] growth. However, it's come to light that

[06:10] all of these studies were done in fasted

[06:12] subjects. And outside of this

[06:14] circumstance, in which you're performing

[06:16] a workout fasted, the anabolic window

[06:18] actually extends up to 24 to even 48

[06:21] hours after you work out. So, recent

[06:24] studies have concluded that there's no

[06:25] longer evidence that you need to get

[06:27] that protein in immediately after your

[06:29] workout. All that being said, that

[06:30] doesn't mean that there isn't a marginal

[06:32] effect for taking in protein immediately

[06:35] after your workout. It could be that

[06:36] these studies just don't have enough

[06:38] subjects to show that there is a very

[06:41] small effect in taking in protein

[06:43] immediately after your workout compared

[06:45] to taking it 4 hours after your workout,

[06:47] for instance. And there's definitely no

[06:48] harm in taking protein immediately after

[06:50] your workout. So, it's my opinion that

[06:52] as long as you're adhering to number

[06:54] one, getting the total amount of protein

[06:56] correct, and number two, spreading your

[06:57] protein out evenly throughout the day,

[06:59] if you still want even more a little bit

[07:01] marginal gain, then taking protein after

[07:04] your workout could help. And studies

[07:06] even note that taking protein preworkout

[07:09] is just as important as taking it

[07:11] post-workout. So to really get this very

[07:13] optimal, you would be spreading your

[07:15] protein out about four times throughout

[07:16] the day. And two of those times would be

[07:18] pre-workout about 1 to two hours before

[07:21] and post-workout within an hour after.

[07:23] However, the timing around the workout

[07:25] is really only going to provide

[07:26] marginable benefit and will probably be

[07:29] more important if you have that anabolic

[07:31] resistance if you're older or have much

[07:33] more training experience. And finally,

[07:35] the most marginal effect that you can

[07:37] add on in regards to protein timing is

[07:39] taking some protein prior to sleep.

[07:41] Studies have noted that if you take 20

[07:43] to 40 gram of slow digesting protein

[07:45] prior to sleep, that also can slightly

[07:47] increase muscle growth. However, again,

[07:49] the effect is very, very marginal. And

[07:51] this is also going to destroy any

[07:54] intermittent fasting or periods of

[07:55] autophagy that you might be experiencing

[07:57] that could also help promote longevity.

[07:59] So, to me, I would really only take in

[08:01] protein prior to sleep. If you're a

[08:02] bodybuilder preparing for competition or

[08:04] if you're just someone trying to squeeze

[08:06] out every single ounce of muscle growth

[08:08] and you don't really care about

[08:09] longevity at all. But if you're really

[08:10] more focused on longevity and overall

[08:12] health, I would skip this prior to sleep

[08:14] protein. Basically, we've just created a

[08:16] hierarchy of importance when it comes to

[08:18] protein. The most important base level

[08:20] is getting that total amount right, that

[08:22] 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilogram. The next most

[08:25] important is spreading that out evenly

[08:27] four times throughout the day. Then the

[08:29] next most important, and this is only a

[08:31] marginal benefit, is taking your protein

[08:33] pre and post-workout. And then finally,

[08:35] the most marginal benefit if you want to

[08:37] squeeze out everything is taking protein

[08:39] prior to sleep. So based on that

[08:41] hierarchy of importance, let's start

[08:43] breaking down which protein powder is

[08:45] best for you. But first off, is there

[08:47] really any difference in getting your

[08:48] protein from a powder versus whole

[08:50] foods? Well, I generally recommend that

[08:52] you get as much of your protein from

[08:54] whole foods as possible to try to hit

[08:56] that 2 g per kilogram goal. And reason

[08:58] for this is that whole foods have a

[09:00] bunch of extra bioactive peptides, a

[09:03] bunch of extra micronutrients that are

[09:05] not only important for overall health

[09:06] and longevity, but studies have shown

[09:08] that they could also provide a

[09:10] synergistic effect in regards to

[09:12] promoting muscle growth. However, it

[09:14] really is very difficult to get to 2 g

[09:16] per kilogram of protein just by whole

[09:19] foods alone. And this is where protein

[09:21] powders can really be a helpful

[09:22] addition. Also, they are generally

[09:24] faster digesting than whole foods, which

[09:27] if you want that marginal benefit post

[09:28] exercise, could be helpful. So, for the

[09:30] rest of this video, we're going to talk

[09:32] about which protein powder is best.

[09:34] Well, for powders, the first question is

[09:36] plant-based versus animal-based powders.

[09:38] It's generally thought that animal-based

[09:39] protein powders are going to be better

[09:41] for a couple reasons. One is they have

[09:43] all those essential amino acids,

[09:44] including the ever so important leucine,

[09:47] in sufficient quantities. This allows

[09:49] them to score very high in markers of

[09:50] protein quality. And two, animal

[09:52] proteins are also more easily digestible

[09:55] than plant proteins generally, which

[09:57] allows them to be quickly taken up,

[09:58] absorbed, and stimulate muscle protein

[10:00] synthesis. On the flip side, plant-based

[10:02] proteins with the exception of soy are

[10:04] generally incomplete proteins. They

[10:06] don't contain all the essential amino

[10:08] acids in sufficient quantities and also

[10:10] they are harder to digest and absorb and

[10:13] then making them slower to stimulate

[10:15] muscle protein synthesis. However, do

[10:17] the studies actually prove that

[10:18] animal-based protein powders are better

[10:20] than plant-based protein powders for

[10:22] building muscle? Well, a 2025 systematic

[10:24] review demonstrated that soy protein is

[10:27] actually equivalent to whey in regards

[10:29] to muscle growth. However, it did

[10:31] demonstrate that whey protein was

[10:33] greater than non- soy plant-based

[10:35] alternatives for muscle. The same study

[10:37] also demonstrated that there was no

[10:39] difference in strength markers or

[10:41] performance markers amongst any

[10:43] different type of protein powder. On the

[10:44] other hand, a different 2024 systematic

[10:46] review demonstrated that whey was better

[10:48] than all plant-based protein powders for

[10:50] muscle growth. However, this effect was

[10:52] marginal. So, my overall read on the

[10:54] data is that animal-based protein

[10:56] powders such as whey or casein or egg

[10:59] are better than plant-based protein

[11:00] powders such as rice, pea, or soy.

[11:02] However, it's definitely marginal. And

[11:04] this makes sense because again, if total

[11:06] protein throughout the day is the most

[11:08] important variable, it doesn't really

[11:10] matter as much how easily digestible the

[11:12] protein is, or it doesn't matter as much

[11:15] what the leucine content is. So, these

[11:17] detriments of plant-based protein aren't

[11:19] hurting us as much as we maybe once

[11:21] thought. That being said, if you really

[11:23] going for the optimal, I would choose an

[11:25] animal-based protein powder. However, if

[11:27] you're vegan or adhering to a

[11:28] plant-based diet for whatever reason,

[11:30] then you're not going to miss out on too

[11:32] many gains from taking a plant-based

[11:34] protein. If you are going to use a

[11:36] plant-based protein, couple tips. One is

[11:38] you're probably going to have to

[11:40] increase the total protein intake that

[11:42] you have. Again, reason being is that

[11:44] leucine content. You're going to have

[11:45] less lucine and less essential amino

[11:47] acids in the plantbased protein. So, to

[11:50] make up for that, you just need to

[11:52] increase the total amount. So instead of

[11:53] taking 30 to 40 grams of a whey protein

[11:56] to maximally stimulate MPS, you might be

[11:58] taking 45 to 60 grams of a rice and pea

[12:02] blend. And then the second main tip if

[12:03] you're going to go plant-based is I

[12:05] would go with a rice and pea protein

[12:07] blend over a soybased powder. Reason

[12:09] being is that soy is one of the top

[12:11] eight most allergen-causing foods. And

[12:13] in my practice, I definitely very

[12:15] commonly see people being sensitive to

[12:17] soy as well, causing gut problems and

[12:19] just overall low-grade systemic

[12:21] inflammation. So, if you are going to go

[12:23] plant-based, increase your total intake

[12:25] and go with a rice and pea blend. But if

[12:27] you are going to go with that

[12:29] animal-based protein for optimal gains,

[12:32] which one should you go with? Well, when

[12:33] it comes to animal-based protein

[12:35] powders, there are some studies that

[12:36] demonstrate that there's no difference

[12:37] between any of the types of animal-based

[12:39] powders. However, there are also a lot

[12:41] of studies that demonstrate that whey

[12:43] protein is superior to all other types

[12:45] of animal-based protein powders. For

[12:46] instance, this study demonstrated that

[12:48] whey protein outperforms both casein and

[12:51] milk proteins. And then this study also

[12:54] demonstrated that whey protein

[12:55] outperforms eggbased proteins. And on

[12:57] the flip side, there are never really

[12:59] any studies that demonstrate that any

[13:01] other animal-based protein outperforms

[13:03] whey. So, while the effect is marginal

[13:05] and total protein content definitely

[13:07] matters the most, you are going to get

[13:09] some extra benefit from using a whey

[13:11] based protein compared to any other type

[13:13] of protein likely due to the full amino

[13:16] acid profile of whey as well as its easy

[13:18] digestibility to get that marginal

[13:20] benefit of taking the protein

[13:22] post-workout. That being said, if you

[13:24] are going to squeeze out that extra

[13:26] ounce of muscle gain from taking the

[13:27] protein pre-L, you should really take

[13:30] case protein. It absorbs over a 6 to

[13:32] eight hour period compared to the 1 to

[13:34] two hour period of whey. So if you're

[13:36] looking for the continued muscle growth

[13:38] throughout the night, then casein

[13:40] protein is definitely your best bet

[13:42] compared to taking whey prior to sleep.

[13:44] But if you are going to take whey as

[13:45] your main protein powder, which type of

[13:47] whey should you go with? Well, the main

[13:49] types of whey protein are whey

[13:51] concentrate, whey isolate, and hydrayed

[13:53] whey proteins. And to answer which is

[13:55] best, we got to discuss how these

[13:57] products are actually made. Weey itself

[13:59] is actually just a byproduct of yogurt

[14:01] and cheese creation from milk. And then

[14:03] to get to weey concentrate, essentially

[14:05] what you do is filter out water,

[14:08] lactose, and some fats from that whey

[14:11] byproduct. And then voila, you now have

[14:13] whey concentrate, which is generally

[14:15] about 80% whey proteins, and then 20%

[14:17] carbs, fat, and other bioactive

[14:19] peptides. To get whey isolate, you then

[14:21] do further filtration steps to now get

[14:24] to greater than 90 to 95% whey protein.

[14:27] This really takes out almost all of the

[14:29] lactose, most of the fats, and most of

[14:32] the bioactive peptides and allows that

[14:34] protein to be digested even faster. So

[14:36] whey concentrate might take 1 to two

[14:38] hours to be absorbed, while a whey

[14:40] isolate can be absorbed in 60 to 90

[14:42] minutes. And then hydrayzeed whey is

[14:45] basically taking that whey isolate and

[14:47] hydraying it or breaking it down into

[14:49] even smaller pieces so that the protein

[14:52] can be absorbed even faster now in only

[14:54] 30 to 60 minutes. However, all this

[14:56] filtration and processing of whey

[14:58] isolates and hydrayzeed whey causes us

[15:01] to miss out on important bioactive

[15:03] peptides that would otherwise be found

[15:05] in a cold processed undenatured whey

[15:08] concentrate. Specifically, these

[15:09] bioactive peptides include things such

[15:11] as lactoerin, which is a super great

[15:14] antimicrobial to help ward off against

[15:16] infection. We're also missing out on

[15:17] things such as immunog globulins, which

[15:20] are great again at improving immunity

[15:22] and fighting off infection. They're also

[15:24] super important for improving the gut

[15:25] barrier and also super important for

[15:28] lowering inflammation due to binding up

[15:31] inflammatory molecules such as LPS. And

[15:33] finally, we're also missing out on

[15:35] bioactive peptides such as bioactive

[15:37] cyine, which allows us to create more

[15:39] glutathione, which is a super important

[15:41] antioxidant. And again, a lot of whey

[15:43] isolates and hydrayed whey totally take

[15:46] out all of these bioactive peptides

[15:48] through poor filtration methods such as

[15:50] ion exchange. However, some whey

[15:52] isolates use filtration methods known as

[15:55] CFM or cross flow micro filtration which

[15:58] have been shown to maintain some of

[16:00] these bioactive peptides. However, that

[16:01] being said, even when using CFM, you're

[16:04] not going to get near as much bioactive

[16:06] peptides as you would in just a simple

[16:08] cold processed undenatured whey

[16:11] concentrate. So, all that being said,

[16:12] which way should you choose? Well, in my

[16:14] opinion, the reason to go with a whey

[16:16] isolate or a hydrayzeed whey is if you

[16:18] are lactose intolerant, as all those

[16:20] extra filtration steps filter out most

[16:22] of the lactose or if you are severely

[16:24] restricting calories in which every

[16:26] single extra carb and every single extra

[16:29] fat gram counts. In that case, a whey

[16:31] isolate or a hydrayzeed whey is

[16:33] beneficial. However, the fact that it's

[16:36] more rapidly absorbing compared to a

[16:38] whey concentrate doesn't intrigue me

[16:39] that much because we already talked

[16:41] about that being a very marginal

[16:42] difference in regards to the importance

[16:44] of taking protein post-workout. So,

[16:46] absorbing in 30 to 60 minutes for a

[16:48] hydrayed whey compared 2 hours for a

[16:51] whey concentrate doesn't really intrigue

[16:53] me that much. And generally, whey

[16:54] isolates and hydrayzeed whey are much

[16:56] more expensive than whey concentrate if

[16:59] we're talking equivalent quality of

[17:01] products. So, for me, as long as you can

[17:02] handle lactose and you're not severely

[17:05] restricting calories, I would go with a

[17:07] cold processed, undenatured whey

[17:09] concentrate as the best protein powder

[17:11] for optimal health and longevity and

[17:13] muscle building. You're still getting a

[17:15] high amount of high-quality protein that

[17:17] is rapidly digestible compared to most

[17:19] other types of protein, and you're also

[17:21] getting all those important bioactive

[17:23] peptides that we talked about earlier,

[17:25] and all in a more cost-effective option.

[17:27] If you're going with the whey

[17:28] concentrate, I would actually go with

[17:29] the grass-fed option. Reason being is

[17:31] that grass-fed beef has been shown to

[17:33] have higher amounts of omega-3s,

[17:35] conjugated linoleic acid, and vitamin A

[17:38] and E compared to grain-fed beef. Also,

[17:40] grass-fed beef is less likely to have

[17:42] contaminants in it given the fact that

[17:44] grain-fed beef is more generally raised

[17:46] with hormones and antibiotics. So, for

[17:48] these reasons, I'm going with a

[17:50] grass-fed, cold processed, undenatured

[17:53] whey concentrate for my optimal protein

[17:55] powder. However, there can be reasons as

[17:58] we discussed to go with a cross flow

[18:00] micro filtration whey isolate or a rice

[18:03] or pea blend in certain circumstances.

[18:05] However, if you are going to go with

[18:06] whey isolate, make sure that it's

[18:08] filtered with CFM instead of ion

[18:10] exchange so you can get some of those

[18:12] bioactive peptides. So, now you've

[18:13] chosen which type of protein powder you

[18:15] want to supplement your diet with. But

[18:17] you're not done yet because you also

[18:18] have to look at all the extra

[18:20] ingredients listed on the label because

[18:22] sometimes these additional ingredients

[18:24] can be super detrimental to our health.

[18:26] So let's walk through some of the

[18:27] biggest red flags to avoid on a protein

[18:30] powder label. The first is artificial

[18:32] flavors. The reason that this one is

[18:34] scary is that it can legally include

[18:36] many things that are not directly listed

[18:38] then on the label. What they generally

[18:40] include is a one synthetic flavor

[18:42] compound such as ethyl vanillin. This is

[18:45] the thing that actually gives the

[18:47] artificial flavor the flavor. This part

[18:50] of the artificial flavor is actually

[18:52] much less problematic. There's not many

[18:54] studies demonstrating harmful effects of

[18:56] the flavoring compound itself. However,

[18:59] also included in this artificial flavors

[19:01] are carriers and emulsifiers. And these

[19:04] are what are generally problematic.

[19:06] Carriers essentially increase the

[19:07] solubility and stability of the flavor

[19:10] compound itself. And carriers are things

[19:12] such as maltodextrin, propyline glycol,

[19:15] or modified starch. And these definitely

[19:17] have been proven to have detrimental

[19:19] health effects. For instance,

[19:20] maltodextrin has been proven in studies

[19:22] to impair the gut barrier and also cause

[19:25] detrimental effects to the gut

[19:27] microbiome. And also, maltodextrin has a

[19:29] high glycemic index, which might spike

[19:32] insulin higher than what you would want.

[19:33] And the emulsifiers are again also

[19:36] problematic. They essentially make sure

[19:37] that the artificial flavor compound is

[19:40] evenly distributed throughout the water

[19:42] or milk or whatever you mix it in. And

[19:44] examples include CMC or cellulose gum or

[19:47] caroxymethyl cellulose and polyorbate

[19:50] 80. Polyorbate 80 for instance has been

[19:52] shown to increase markers of cognitive

[19:54] decline with age. It has also been shown

[19:57] to promote markers of leaky gut which

[19:59] causes further inflammation throughout

[20:01] the entire body. And then CMC or

[20:03] cellulose gum has also been shown in the

[20:05] studies to increase inflammatory

[20:06] markers. So moral of the story is I

[20:08] would stay away from any protein powder

[20:10] that lists artificial flavors on the

[20:12] ingredient label. And truthfully, I'm

[20:14] even sticking away from protein powders

[20:16] that list natural flavors on the label.

[20:19] And this again because I don't know

[20:20] exactly what's in my protein powder.

[20:22] Then while it generally contains a

[20:24] natural flavor additive, sometimes

[20:26] synthetic emulsifiers or carriers are

[20:29] still included in natural flavors. So,

[20:31] I'm sticking away from any protein

[20:32] powder that lists artificial or natural

[20:34] flavors. The next red flag to look out

[20:36] for on the label is soy lecithin. And

[20:39] lecithin is essentially a mixture of

[20:41] phosphoippids to keep fat and water from

[20:44] separating. And there are two main

[20:45] lethins that are used in protein

[20:47] powders. Soy lethin and sunflower

[20:50] lethin. Soy lecithan is chemically

[20:52] extracted from GMO soy. Soy leithin is

[20:55] generally cheaper, which is why it's

[20:56] used in a lot of cheap protein powders.

[20:58] And it's chemically extracted from GMO

[21:00] soy, which could even contain some

[21:02] phytoestrogens.

[21:04] And because soy is also one of the most

[21:07] common foods again that people have

[21:08] immune reactions to, I really like to

[21:11] stick away from any protein powder that

[21:13] has soy less than in it. Compare this to

[21:15] sunflower leithin, which I much more

[21:17] favor, which is more mechanically

[21:19] extracted from non-GMO plants and has

[21:22] much lower risk of causing gut

[21:24] inflammation from disregulated immune

[21:26] responses from that GMO soy. The last

[21:29] and maybe most important thing to watch

[21:30] out for are artificial sweeteners. And

[21:33] there are many that are used. So, I

[21:35] would recommend looking anything up if

[21:36] you're unsure. But the main ones to look

[21:38] out for and avoid are asoflame potassium

[21:41] which has been shown in studies to cause

[21:43] microbiome disruption and increase

[21:46] inflammation. You also want to watch out

[21:47] for sucralose which basically has been

[21:49] shown in studies to do the same thing

[21:51] increase inflammation, destroy the gut

[21:53] microbiome, and even cause increased

[21:54] risk for metabolic disease. And finally,

[21:56] and probably the most problematic, is

[21:58] aspartame. Aspartame has been linked in

[22:00] some studies to a possible increased

[22:02] cancer risk and has definitely been

[22:04] linked to increased inflammation and a

[22:06] gut dispiosis. So instead of these

[22:08] artificial sweeteners, if your protein

[22:10] powder has a sweetener in it, you want

[22:11] it to be a natural alternative such as

[22:14] monk fruit, which has been demonstrated

[22:16] in no studies to have negative health

[22:18] effects, or stevia, which again has not

[22:20] been demonstrated to have any negative

[22:22] effects and its effects are positive if

[22:24] anything. So those are the main

[22:25] ingredients to watch out for. artificial

[22:27] or natural flavors, soy lecithin, and

[22:30] any artificial sweetener. However, if

[22:32] you also have gut symptoms such as

[22:34] bloating diarrhea constipation etc.

[22:37] then I would also watch out for any

[22:39] protein powders that contain thickeners

[22:41] or sugar alcohols. Thickeners are

[22:42] essentially things that give the protein

[22:44] powder a milkshake like consistency when

[22:46] you mix it up with water or milk.

[22:48] They're things such as zanthan gum or

[22:50] guar gum. While these aren't problematic

[22:53] in and of themselves, they are

[22:54] fermentable by gut bacteria. So, if you

[22:57] have gut symptoms, these will likely

[23:00] make those symptoms worse. So, I

[23:02] generally stay away from these and

[23:03] especially you should stay away from

[23:05] these if you have gut symptoms. And

[23:07] finally, on the same token, are sugar

[23:09] alcohols such as sorbital, xylitol, or

[23:12] arythritol. Kind of same thing here.

[23:14] They don't cause problems in and of

[23:16] themselves. However, they are

[23:18] fermentable, so could worsen your gut

[23:20] symptoms if you have them. And the final

[23:22] ingredients to talk about that could be

[23:24] on the label are citric acid and malic

[23:26] acid. These are used in the now ever so

[23:29] popular clear protein powders because

[23:31] they increase the acidity to make the

[23:33] protein even more soluble and more

[23:34] clear. There are no really negative

[23:36] studies on citric acid or malic acid, so

[23:39] they're likely okay. However, they can

[23:41] cause tooth enamel decay. So, you really

[23:43] want to be sure that you're maintaining

[23:46] proper teeth hygiene if you are using

[23:48] one of these clear protein powders with

[23:50] citric or malic acid in it. However, I

[23:52] generally try to stay away from clear

[23:54] protein powders as one, they're isolates

[23:56] and hydrayzeed whey, which I don't

[23:58] prefer, and they also very commonly

[24:01] contain sucralose, one of those

[24:02] artificial sweeteners that we're trying

[24:04] to avoid. So, that is the roundup on all

[24:06] the extra ingredients that you really

[24:07] need to be on the lookout for in your

[24:09] protein powder. However, even if you do

[24:11] that, you're still not done because

[24:14] there actually could be contaminants in

[24:16] your protein powder that are obviously

[24:17] not listed on the ingredient label. And

[24:20] this is a super important step to look

[24:22] out for because the Clean Label Project

[24:24] tested 134 of the top selling protein

[24:28] powders and found that 3/4 of them have

[24:31] contaminants in them. And the first

[24:33] contaminant to watch out for are heavy

[24:35] metals such as lead, cadmium, arsenic,

[24:38] and mercury. These heavy metals cause

[24:39] oxidative stress over time that can lead

[24:41] to more inflammation and chronic

[24:43] diseases. And the Clean Label Project

[24:45] noted that 70% of protein powders had

[24:48] detectable levels of lead in them and

[24:50] 74% had detectable levels of cadmium.

[24:53] And they also noted that plant-based

[24:54] powders were actually more likely than

[24:57] animal-based powders to have these heavy

[24:59] metals in them. This is due to the fact

[25:00] that the heavy metals often come from

[25:03] the soil in which the plants are grown.

[25:04] And this is another reason as why I

[25:06] generally prefer whey over the rice and

[25:09] pea blends despite the fact that whey

[25:11] might cause more immune reactions than a

[25:13] rice and pea blend. However, heavy

[25:14] metals can also come from processing the

[25:16] powder. So, we have to look out for it

[25:18] regardless of which type we use. So, how

[25:20] do we look out for it? How do we avoid

[25:22] protein powders that have these

[25:23] potential contaminants in them? Well,

[25:24] it's all about third party testing. To

[25:27] me, I look for protein powders that are

[25:28] certified by either Clean Label Project

[25:30] or NSF, both of which are testing for

[25:33] heavy metals extensively in the products

[25:36] that they test. However, if you're going

[25:37] for another product, I would at least

[25:39] make sure that they have transparent

[25:41] third-party testing posted on their

[25:43] website so you can see for sure that

[25:44] there are no heavy metals in that

[25:45] protein powder. The second thing we need

[25:47] to be wary of are contaminants from

[25:49] plastics such as BPA. And this is an

[25:52] important one because BPA is an

[25:54] endocrine disruptor, meaning that it

[25:55] could potentially lead to hormonally

[25:57] related diseases and cause suboptimal

[25:59] testosterone and estrogen signaling.

[26:01] Again, the Clean Label Project noted

[26:03] that 55% of the most popular protein

[26:06] powders are contaminated with BPA. This

[26:09] can come from plastic packaging. So,

[26:11] ideally, choose a protein powder that

[26:13] has the least plastic in its packaging

[26:15] as possible. It could also just come

[26:16] from again that manufacturing process.

[26:18] So, we really need to get protein

[26:21] powders which are certified to not

[26:23] contain plastic contaminants. Clean

[26:25] Label Project certification is great at

[26:28] making sure this is the case. But if you

[26:30] go with a product that is not Clean

[26:31] Label Project certified, you need to

[26:33] make sure that they test for not only

[26:34] BPA, but also BPF and BPS. Recent

[26:38] studies have demonstrated that these

[26:39] contaminants from plastics are just as

[26:42] bad as BPA when it comes to endocrine

[26:44] disruption. And finally, the last main

[26:46] toxin to look out for is glyphosate,

[26:48] which is found in pesticides. Glyphosate

[26:51] can lead to a host of downstream

[26:53] negative health effects, all stemming

[26:54] from the fact that it causes increased

[26:56] inflammation and a disregulated immune

[26:58] response. It's most likely to be found

[27:00] in non-organic plant-based protein

[27:02] powders, which had probably the use of

[27:04] pesticides to grow the plants. However,

[27:07] again, important to look out for in all

[27:08] the protein powders that you might buy.

[27:10] So, I would ideally look for protein

[27:12] powders that are either again clean

[27:15] label project certified or those that

[27:17] have transparent third-party testing

[27:19] that mentions testing for glyphosate.

[27:21] So, what are my favorite brands of

[27:22] protein powder that meet all these

[27:24] criteria? They're contaminant-free,

[27:26] contain no harmful extra ingredients,

[27:28] and for my preference are a grass-fed,

[27:30] undenatured, cold processed whey

[27:32] concentrate with as much of those

[27:34] bioactive peptides as possible. Well,

[27:36] first I just want to make it clear that

[27:38] I'm never going to accept sponsorship

[27:40] for any supplements or protein powders

[27:43] that I would recommend because I don't

[27:45] really want money to cloud the picture.

[27:46] I want you to be able to trust these

[27:47] recommendations. So, without further

[27:50] ado, my first favorite brand for protein

[27:52] powders is Levels. It is Clean Label

[27:55] Project certified, so you can trust it

[27:57] has no contaminants. It's a great

[27:59] grass-fed, cold processed, undenatured

[28:01] whey concentrate without any of those

[28:04] harmful ingredients. They also have a

[28:06] casein protein, which would be great if

[28:08] again you're trying to squeeze out that

[28:10] extra ounce of muscle mass by taking

[28:12] protein before you go to sleep. Another

[28:14] whey concentrate I really like is

[28:16] Promix. It is NSF certified and also

[28:18] contains additional transparent

[28:20] third-party testing. They have great

[28:22] grass-fed, cold processed, undenatured

[28:24] whey concentrates. They even have a

[28:26] singleingredient whey concentrate which

[28:28] I really, really like. And finally, if

[28:30] you are looking for a whey isolate, I do

[28:32] like Momentous. It's an NSF certified,

[28:34] very high quality product for those that

[28:36] are lactose intolerant or again on a

[28:38] very severe caloric restriction. And

[28:40] there are obviously other powders that

[28:42] would meet all the criteria. So, if

[28:43] you're interested in a certain powder or

[28:46] a certain brand, drop it in the comments

[28:48] below and I'll let you know what I

[28:49] think. And in the meantime, check out

[28:50] this video on the top five exercises

[28:52] that you can pair with the protein

[28:54] powder for optimal muscle growth and

[28:56] longevity.