Has anyone gotten really nerdy about their protein powder blends?

[416ae6e2]

I was going to make a protein powder blend on true nutrition, and curious if anyone has ever read up on ideal amino acid balances and found the best ratio of pea/rice/soy/hemp/etc protein powders.

The closest I've come was looking at the AA's in whey protein, since whey's protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) is 1. So is soy. And pea is about 0.9. The AA ratios in those are pretty similar to whey, but they're both lacking in leucine compared to whey. Rice protein is well paired with pea because (just like beans & rice as a food), rice is low in lysine and rich in methionine, and pea is the opposite.

I generally avoid soy because it gives me inflammation for some reason, so I usually do some sort of pea & rice protein combo. I usually get the vegan protein optimizer (45% rice, 45% pea, and 10% hemp). I was considering the vegan lean formula (20% rice, 80% pea) instead. Or maybe making my own blend with 60% pea, 40% rice or something. And then on top of that, getting some leucine powder and adding 5g or so of that to my protein shakes.

Has anyone dorked out on this kind of stuff and have a suggestion or any insight to share?

 

[sleeplesswhite]

@416ae6e2 I can't verify their claim but this person sounds like they know what they're talking about in recommending a 60/40 rice/pea split.

 

[416ae6e2]

@sleeplesswhite awesome! thanks!

 

[personalizedbook]

@416ae6e2 If I was really concerned, I would pick a pea+rice blend that leveled the lysine/methionine playing field so that both AAs were in an optimal proportion. Then I would see how much leucine was in a desired serving size and add additional leucine powder to hit ~3 grams of leucine per serving. Technically you would also want to minimize other macros in the powder, especially fiber, since that would slow the digestion of the powder and will blunt the MPS response.

Since I am not that concerned, I just buy a pea+rice blend and take enough of it to hit the 3 g leucine threshold, which is usually a ~30 gram dose of total protein.

 

[patrickmiller]

@416ae6e2 pre vegan I was super into proteins technically: CFM 520, hydrolized, ion exchange, quick and slow digesting blends - but having been an athlete for 30+ years

https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/comments/72u3tp/its_the_season_at_12000

.. I can say it does not matter even a little bit. Slow digesting vs fast, bioavailability.. it all is lip service only.. presuming you are eating a clean whole grain, whole food non processed vegan diet along with any vegan protein shake or two per day (presuming you are working out significantly)

One can 'nerd' out and get all into the details - but that is not needed at all for optimal results

 

[416ae6e2]

@patrickmiller I agree. I think if you think hydrolyzed vs isolate vs concentrate, or 60:40 pea:rice vs 40:40:20 pea:rice:hemp is going to make any sort of meaningful difference, you're completely focused on the wrong thing. Calories, programming, and rest are 90%. Which protein shake you use (if any) is 1%, if that.

I'm just curious. It's something I've thought about before, not like I think it's going to make a difference. I just like to learn, and am curious if anyone has broken it down scientifically. Some PhD theses are on nerdy things like this. Like Layne Norton, his thesis was on optimizing leucine for muscle protein synthesis. It's not going to make or break your gains, workout, etc, it's just interesting - to me anyways.

 

[patrickmiller]

@416ae6e2 copy that - I did not meant to come across as condescending at all - I used to beyond geek out over all the whey proteins

 

[416ae6e2]

@patrickmiller lol me too. always got an isolate that was micro filtered, not ion-exchanged, used hydroslate (super fast digesting) intra or after a hard workout, isolate (fast digesting) after most workouts, concentrate (slower digesting) or casein throughout the day... it was so stupid, like it's going to make any difference at all. if you think it will make a difference, you either work for a supplement company and you're trying to sell it to noobs, or you're a noob and you've been brainwashed by supplement company marketing