Aug 19, 20222 min read

Whey Isolate vs. Whey Concentrate [What's The Difference?]

Recently, we just released our 100% pure whey isolate protein powder. But you might be wondering what IS whey isolate and what makes it different than other forms of whey? Today we're diving into the details!

Whey Isolate vs. Whey Concentrate

Both whey isolate and whey concentrate are derived from dairy. However, unlike regular milk, whey in general is considerably lower in lactose and higher in protein. Because both whey isolate and concentrate come from dairy, they both contain the same type of protein. In fact, whey in general has an incredible number of studied health perks (watch the video below for the details). But the biggest differences between whey isolate and whey concentrate come down to the carbohydrate, lactose, protein and fat content.

Whey concentrate is much higher in lactose, carbs and fat while being lower in protein than whey isolate. A typical 100 calorie serving of whey concentrate has around 3.5 grams of carbs, up to 3.5 grams of lactose and 1.5 grams of fat. Whey isolate usually contains around 0-1 gram of carbs, 0 grams of fat and up to 1 gram of lactose (although this can be even lower). Per calorie, whey isolate will also contain more protein than whey concentrate, too.

If you're looking for more control over your carbohydrate intake or if you're lactose intolerant, then whey isolate is a better choice due to the lower carbohydrate content and more than 3x lower lactose content. And lactose is a big deal. Considering an estimated 68% of the world is lactose intolerant, limiting lactose in protein powder may help reduce incidences of uncomfortable GI distress, bloating or gas.(1)

Whey concentrate is generally a cheaper protein. Many protein powder companies will "cut" their whey isolate with whey concentrate to make it cheaper. You can spot this when you look at the ingredients label. You'll often see whey isolate listed first, then either whey concentrate or "milk protein concentrate" listed second. Even companies that will only list "whey isolate" on their front label will often cut their protein with these cheaper options. So always check the ingredients label!

We chose to use 100% pure whey isolate for our brand new protein powder to help reap all of the studied benefits of whey without the bloating, gas and GI distress that can often come with whey concentrate's lactose content.