Tips » Supplementation
Isn't whey protein much better than soy protein?
Yeah, you'll get the typical responses. "Whey is a higher BV." What is BV? It is a great tool for advertisers and marketers to sell their product. The fact is, the idea of a superior protein only makes sense if that were the only protein you consumed. When you start getting into "this is better" you're really stepping outside the realm of practical science and getting into marketing. Pure and simple. People will argue up and down about "complete protein" for example .. what is that? That is the protein itself. If you eat a variety of proteins, a complete protein isn't important ... whatever your meal is deficient in, your next meal will make up the difference - yes, your body does store amino acids (building blocks of protein) in what is called the amino acid pool, which is like a "bank" for amino acids.
BV is a measurement of how protein is used. I believe it is also a junk measurement because it is based on someone fasting and then consuming a product, which hardly ever happens in the real world unless this is your first meal upon waking.
Bottom line - pick the protein you enjoy and fits your budget. Leave the nonsense about fretting over biological value, whether it is complete, etc to the marketers. I hope you are not using the shakes as your only source of protein, so as a supplement, it is fine to pick what you enjoy and what is less expensive.
Here is a great article by Bryan Haycock that, while very technical, dispells a lot of myths you hear simply because most people repeat what they read on the web, from an article typically written on a website from someone who is trying to sell their own protein to you. Bryan actually does have his own supplement line, but tends to be more open and scientific with his approach than others (in case you're not familiar, he is the person who designed HST or hypertrophy-specific training). Here is the article:
http://www.naturalphysiques.com/news/VIi006vfsf.html#six
(Note the section about how quantitiy can make up for quality.)