Can I trust my protein powder?

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). 

Physiotherapist, behaviour change scientist and run coach.

"Where's my protein shake?" I hear many people ask this as they finish their workout, assuming that protein intake is the panacea for "gains" by facilitating effective recovery. Yes, as Dr Shona Halson puts it, the only training we benefit from is the training we recover from.

Listen to more from Dr Halson in this excellent podcast

However, recovery is more complex than making sure you take in some protein after your workout. I could take this post in multiple directions related to effective recovery modalities, but today I'm going to focus on the quality of recovery modalities, specifically protein supplements.

Check out these evidence-based infographics on recovery methods

Many sports dieticians will tell you that recreational athletes (e.g. occasional runner, "yogie" etc.) should be able to get sufficient protein from food sources ("food first approach") if they follow a balanced diet containing fruits, vegetables and meats. I agree with this. 

Recreational athletes who start to increase their training (e.g. going from one run a week to several in preparation from un upcoming event) might benefit from protein supplementation, especially if they are not big meat eaters or don't have the time or skills to prepare protein-rich meals.

Supplements (e.g. products that claim to have performance benefits, like creatine and caffeine supplements, as well as protein powders) are not regulated in Australia. However, this is set to change towards the end of 2020. Unfortunately though, it appears that protein powders will remain unregulated, as they will continue to be considered a food rather than a therapeutic good if they are advertised as such.

So what? Well this means that no one is checking to see if your protein powder contains what you think it does.

Check out this podcast on supplements and what they might claim to contain and how this matches up with what they actually contain.

So does this mean that you should avoid all protein powders simply because you don't know if they contain the amounts of amino acids (especially the essential amino acid leucine), carbohydrates, fats and other nutrients they claim to contain? Well, no.

I'm a big fan of the food first approach I briefly referred to earlier, where daily nutrient intakes are achieved through a diet that can be modified based on training load (see the athlete's plate). 

But you can also use a protein supplement to boost your protein intake if you choose to and if it's safe for you to do so. Make sure you get some advice from an accredited dietician before considering supplementation.

But how do you choose the right one? There are many things to consider when choosing the "right" protein powder for you and that's where a dietician can give you some fantastic advice. However, one thing I can say is to choose a manufacturer that you can trust. 

"How do I know which protein powder manufacturers can be trusted to provide a high-quality and safe product?" One way to do this is to do a quick bit of research. 

See the image below. What in this image tells you about the safety (i.e. lack of banned substances) and trustworthiness of this product? Look closely.

Informed Sport tests supplements like the one above and gives them the tick of approval if they don't contain dodgy substances. The presence of this logo gives me some confidence in the manufacturer and this specific product.

Specifically, on their website, they state "Athletes should use Informed Sport as part of their risk management strategy when choosing which supplement products to use. They can be sure that products bearing the Informed Sport logo have passed a rigorous certification process and are made to the highest quality standards."

Although this doesn't specifically tell us if the product contains the amounts of amino acids, carbohydrates, fats etc. that they claim to, I take having the tick of approval from Informed Sport as a sign that the manufacturer can be trusted in general. 

Try making my yummy protein cups after your next workout!