Research

Hormonal

Protein hydrolysates may induce a more potent insulinotropic effect (higher insulin response) than intact proteins, although this does not necessarily translate to greater muscle protein synthesis.

Hydrolysates might spike your insulin more than regular protein, but this doesn't mean you build more muscle. Insulin helps inhibit muscle breakdown, but since MPS is the same, the extra insulin spike is likely unnecessary for most people.

GoodQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
maximum plasma insulin concentration was 28% greater following the ingestion of the whey protein hydrolysate... Together, these findings suggest that protein hydrolysates may induce a more potent insulinotropic effect
Paul T. Morgan et al. · Nutrition & Metabolism · 2021

Why this rating

Supported by specific studies cited in the review showing higher insulin peaks with hydrolysates.

Source

The role of protein hydrolysates for exercise-induced skeletal muscle recovery and adaptation: a current perspective

Paul T. Morgan et al. · Nutrition & Metabolism · 2021

DOI 10.1186/s12986-021-00574-z

narrative_reviewCited 43×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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