Posted on 07 Oct 2021
Until fairly recently, protein powder was marketed to a very specific demographic: men who read bodybuilding magazines, could quote scenes from Pumping Iron verbatim, and would happily bathe in a bucket of badger shit if it meant adding an extra inch to the circumference of their bicep.
These days, protein supplements have achieved mainstream appeal, and pills and powders crowd supermarket aisles along with cereals, cans of baked beans and bog roll.
Products from Optimum Nutrition, Maximuscle and Ghost Supplements are just as likely to be found in the shopping baskets of wide-buttocked, chain-smoking housewives as they are in the cupboards of narcissistic, singlet-wearing twenty-somethings.
One product that has been emblematic of this social cut-through is the ubiquitous Dyamtize ISO 100, a product now as synonymous with health and fitness as the Tory party is with rotary clubs, owning more than one gilet and rogering livestock.
Dymatize ISO 100 is, according to its branding, the world’s bestselling whey protein isolate powder.
To quote Tyler Spraul, NSCA-certified strength and conditioning coach from the gym management specialists exercise.com, the difference between whey protein isolate and regular whey protein powder is that the former has been refined to remove carbs and fats, making it a ‘purer’ form of protein.
This makes isolate a great choice if you’re lactose intolerant or have problems digesting regular whey, but also makes it more expensive than regular protein powders.
In addition, ISO 100 combines regular isolate with hydrolysed isolate.
This is a form of whey which has been broken down with enzymes so that is more easily absorbed by the body (it’s partially pre-digested so your body doesn’t have to work to break it down), making it the closest thing to free-form amino acids you’re going to get.
The super-fast absorption rate of hydrolysed protein allows for quicker recovery after exercise as your muscles can be ‘fed’ sooner (more on this later).
Per serving size (one 32g scoop), the nutritionals of ISO 100 are as follows:
Calories | 120kcal |
Protein | 25g |
Carbs (of which sugar) | 2g (1g) |
Fat (of which saturates) | 1g (0g) |
As you would expect with hydrolysed whey, this powder has next to no grams of carbs or fat.
This makes it the perfect choice for anyone on a calorie-restricted diet (i.e. someone looking to get “absolutely fucking shredded”), putting it on a similar footing to something like Isopure Zero Carb.
It’s worth pointing out that this powder also includes tiny amounts of soy lecithin (used to improve mixability) and sucralose (artificial sweetner) which are ingredients that some people on the internet seem to have a problem with, although they’re used by virtually every protein supplement on the market.
These are the same people, bear in mind, that rant about breakfast cereals on Facebook while not thinking twice about smashing through a bottle of Prosecco and a gram of Bolivian marching powder every Friday night.
ISO 100 is available in a tonne of different flavours (17 last time I counted) mixing staples such as chocolate and vanilla with Wonka-esque concoctions such as ‘Orange Dreamsicle’ and ‘Birthday Cake’.
I’ve tried Chocolate Peanut Butter and it was absolutely delicious mixed with both water and semi-skimmed milk.
The flavour was a little on the sweet site, so bear that in mind if you don’t have a sweet tooth.
In terms of texture, the powder dissolves ridiculously easily with no clumps or grainy bits.
Top marks all round here.
Now here’s the rub…
The rapid absorption qualities of hydrolysed whey, are, in all honesty, not going to make a blind bit of difference to the 99.99% of people who take this product.
This USP harkens back to the age-old ‘anabolic window’ bro-science, whereby your body supposedly had a 45-minute window immediately after lifting weights where protein had to be consumed else any benefit from your workout would be wasted.
Ultimately, focusing on the rapid absorption of protein is not where your mind should be; instead, focus on the total amount of macros and calories, which is 10 times more important.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this supplement is not going to be a magic bullet.
In other words, there’s no point forking out for expensive protein powders if you’re lifting routine and day-to-day diet is not the very best it can be.
Get your priorities in order.
For a cynic, it’s hard to see the “ultra-fast absorption” angle of ISO 100 as anything more than a marketing ploy to bump up the price tag.
Also, with regard to the low calorie angle, yes, this shake is super-refined with almost zero grams of carbs/fats, but WPCs only ever contain a handful of these macros anyway.
In terms of added calories, this would take you literally minutes to burn off.
Not trying to be a Debbie Downer here, just trying to be realistic about whether these ‘benefits’ warrant the higher price tag for most gym goers.
Which brings us on to…
As mentioned, due to the labour that goes into those extra purification steps, hydrolysed whey and whey isolate are more expensive options than whey concentrate, so if you’re not bothered about having a super pure whey with rapid absorption properties, just find yourself a basic concentrate (like Myprotein’s Impact Whey).
However, if superior quality is important to you, or if you have allergy of digestion issues with whey concentrate, then by all means go with ISO 100.
Sure, it’s pricey, but it’s also about as high-quality as it gets for a protein shake.
And, as with all supplements, it gets cheaper if you buy a larger tub.
You can usually pick up a 2.2kg (5lb) tub for around £50 or $50, depending on where you shop.
With some pretty powerful supplement shamanism, Dymatize have managed to conjure up a protein powder that’s about as pure as it gets.
This makes it a great choice for anyone looking to get super-lean (low carb, low fat) or for those with lactose intolerance or digestion issues.
However, you do end up paying the price for this ultra-refined protein, as Dymatize Iso comes with a much heftier price tag than regular whey.
You can order Dymatize ISO 100 Whey Protein by shopping here at Amazon where it’s usually much cheaper than anywhere else.
Have you tried Dymatize ISO?
If so, what did you make of it?
Any other comments or questions?
Please get in touch below – I’d love to hear from you.
I always prefer going for the low-end protein powder.
Most of proteins on the market are very similar, only difference is the quality of taste.
I just look at the label and pick one with the lowest cost, highest protein content.
I believe you’re better off buying other supplements (or saving the money) instead of buying very known brand proteins.
This was an unexpectedly hilarious yet informative article that I throughly enjoyed.
“These are the same people, bear in mind, that rant about breakfast cereals on Facebook while not thinking twice about smashing through a bottle of Prosecco and a gram of Bolivian marching powder every Friday night.”
Amazing
My son bought this product after he read all your marketing material.
Wow!
The bioengineered food and the food dyes are all the reason to NOT buy this product.
We returned the product.
There are many other alternatives that are “clean” whey protein with out all the chemicals.
Folks – do your research and look up all the ingredients.
What proof that ISO 100 has a shelf life of 5years, most report i read say 9-18 month for protein