Myprotein The ioPea: Optimized Pea Protein

When it comes to exciting new supplement technologies and developments, we’ve done our best to stay on top of novel ingredients and the formulas that include them. The protein industry pioneers at Myprotein have a specific line of supplements named The Pro Range that utilize many of these cutting-edge technologies. One example is Myprotein’s The Pre Workout Thermo, a fat-burning pre workout supplement that includes industry-leading CaloriBurn grains of paradise extract.

Myprotein The ioPea

Myprotein The ioPea is a pea protein isolate powder enhanced by Ingredient Optimized‘s io technology!

In the middle of some other Pro Range updates we’ve recently covered (new Mike and Ike The Pre Workout flavors), Myprotein also launched what we consider to be their best dairy-free protein offering yet: The ioPea.

The ioPea: Pea Protein enhanced by io Technology

The ioPea is an ultra-clean pea protein isolate powder that’s been enhanced by io Technology from Ingredient Optimized. This novel process increases the protein’s bioavailability, with research showing improved BCAA/EAA levels in users after taking it. We’ve covered this tech multiple times on PricePlow, finding more fascinating research on it every time we look.

Whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or simply looking for a dairy-free protein that can hang with its whey protein competition, Myprotein’s The ioPea is one worth researching.

It’s all covered below, but first, sign up for our Myprotein news alerts, it’s going to be a big year for the big brand:

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Let’s check the extremely clean macros before getting into the protein and its “enhancement”:

The ioPea Macros

In a 30.8 gram scoop:

Myprotein The IoPea Ingredients

Look how clean these macros are! This is what you get with a pure pea protein isolate, but what’s not on the label is even more important: Ingredient Optimization!

  • Calories: 100

  • Protein: 21g

  • Carbohydrates: 3g

    • Dietary Fiber: 1g

    • Total Sugar: 0g

  • Fat: 0g

These are extraordinary compared to most vegan proteins – the trick is that Myprotein starts the process with pea protein isolate – and then they make it even better. We discuss how below:

The ioPea Ingredients: io-enhanced Pea Protein Isolate

The ioPea consists primarily of one thing – io-optimized pea protein isolate – so we’re going to focus on that, and then talk about the io (Ingredient Optimized) process itself.

Pea protein is popular in vegan (and dairy-free) protein powders because it is a complete, whole-food protein source.[1-3] This means that it has all nine essential amino acids, but it is a bit low in methionine,[4] which you may or may not prefer depending on your health situation. Some say it’s great for longevity, controlling blood glucose levels, and overall metabolic health,[5-7] while others who are looking for growth-at-all-costs will want more methionine since it’s the start codon of translation,[8] and therefore all forms of growth (both good and bad) require the amino acid.

Myprotein The ioPea Review

Pea protein has been shown to build just as much muscle as whey in athletes.[9,10] But wait until you see the io process

Regardless, pea protein works great for its job – a randomized, double-blinded, controlled study published in 2015 showed that athletes taking a pea protein supplement gained just as much weight from resistance training compared to those who took whey protein, which is a known muscle-builder.[9] The result has been replicated in further studies using different types of athletics similar to crossfit.[10]

Real world results are what matter, but companies like Myprotein still want to help their customers achieve more – especially in their high-end Pro Range line of supplements. Since plant proteins may not have the “perfect” PDCAAS (protein digestibility corrected amino acid score) as whey protein does,[11-14] Myprotein wanted to do everything they could to supercharge their pea protein isolate. This is where they brought in io technology:

Ingredient Optimized: io technology

ioPea Logo

Pea protein optimized.

Taking pea protein isolate to the next level, Myprotein employed io technology from Ingredient Optimized, who takes pea protein and makes it even better – they have research showing significant EAA and BCAA blood plasma level increases compared to regular pea protein when using their process explained below.[15]

Ingredient Optimized specializes in natural atmospheric plasma treatment to literally shift the protein molecules into a better position. We’ve covered this technology in two articles (in our main ioPea and ioWhey articles) — io technology improves the powder’s solubility, dispersion, and overall bioavailability by increasing the protein’s surface area.

More bioavailability from shifting protein?!

This may sound like science fiction, but it’s an incredible process used by other highly-intelligent brands that is backed by a great deal of research. What happens is that proteins and/or amino acids that receive the cold atmospheric treatment go through structural changes that expose the protein’s peptide binding sites more. With these sites better exposed, our body is able to cleave and process them far easier – ultimately leading to significant gains in the powder’s bioavailability.[16,17]

In addition, those structural changes expose more hydrophobic pockets in the protein,[18,19] which similar research has shown can help our enzymes to better attach to the molecules, ultimately improving digestibility.[20]

io works in human research

ioPea EAA

ioPea has a significantly increased bioavailability of all nine essential amino acids. Image courtesy of Plasma Nutrition.

To back up the science, Ingredient Optimized has published studies on both whey protein isolate and pea protein getting enhanced by io and yielding significantly better EAA and BCAA blood plasma levels in humans at all timestamps measured (30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post consumption).[15,21] Obviously for Myprotein’s The ioPea, the pea protein study is of most relevance to us.[15]

You can read more in our article titled ioPea Protein: A Plant Protein With the Power of Whey.

Other Ingredients added

No major surprises elsewhere on the label — The ioPea uses natural flavoring, is stevia-sweetened, and has a triple gum blend of xanthan, guar, and acacia gums.

Flavors available

    ioPea or Myprotein’s The Plant Protein?

    You may recall that Myprotein already has a plant protein in the Pro Range named The Plant Protein. While that was a great addition due to its mixture, leading to a smooth texture, The ioPea takes actual protein utilization and efficacy to the next level. Both are great, but if you forced us to choose one, we choose the io-enhanced ioPea any day of the week.

    Myprotein Protein Bars 2020

    See the Myvegan Plant Protein Bars on the left

    Meanwhile, it’s worth mentioning Myprotein’s Vegan Protein Bar, which is also phenomenal for dairy-free dieters.

    Innovation takes all forms at Myprotein

    The ioPea was released during a storm of releases at Myprotein that included two new Mike and Ike Clear Whey Isolate flavor collabs alongside two Mike and Ike The Pre Workout flavors and the huge Eddie Hall All-in-One Protein Protein partnership.

    Lost in that mix was this incredible ioPea release here – but the plant proteins deserve some love too, after all.

    But of all the plant proteins, this one deserves the most love. Myprotein has numerous plant proteins throughout their product lines – some are just standard pea and rice proteins, others are higher-quality blends like The Plant Protein discussed above. However, none rival the unique and novel io technology brought by Ingredient Optimized. So if you’re a Myprotein fan on the hunt for a plant protein (or a dairy-free protein in general), The ioPea is our choice.

    Myprotein THE ioPEA – Deals and Price Drop Alerts

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    Disclosure: PricePlow relies on pricing from stores with which we have a business relationship. We work hard to keep pricing current, but you may find a better offer.

    Posts are sponsored in part by the retailers and/or brands listed on this page.

    About the Author: Mike Roberto

    Mike Roberto

    Mike Roberto is a research scientist and water sports athlete who founded PricePlow. He is an n=1 diet experimenter with extensive experience in supplementation and dietary modification, whose personal expertise stems from several experiments done on himself while sharing lab tests.

    Mike's goal is to bridge the gap between nutritional research scientists and non-academics who seek to better their health in a system that has catastrophically failed the public. Mike is currently experimenting with a low Vitamin A diet.

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    References

    1. Hawley, Aubree L et al. “The Short-Term Effect of Whey Compared with Pea Protein on Appetite, Food Intake, and Energy Expenditure in Young and Older Men.” Current developments in nutrition vol. 4,2 nzaa009. 22 Jan. 2020, doi:10.1093/cdn/nzaa009 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7016484/
    2. Abou-Samra, Rania, et al. “Effect of Different Protein Sources on Satiation and Short-Term Satiety When Consumed as a Starter.” Nutrition Journal, vol. 10, no. 1, Dec. 2011, 10.1186/1475-2891-10-139; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3295702/
    3. Tömösközi, S, et al; “Isolation and Study of the Functional Properties of Pea Proteins.”; Die Nahrung; U.S. National Library of Medicine; Oct. 2001; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11712241
    4. Gorissen, S., Crombag, J., et al. “Protein content and amino acid composition of commercially available plant-based protein isolates.” Amino Acids vol. 50,12 (2018): 1685-1695. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6245118/
    5. Yin J, Ren W, Chen S, Li Y, Han H, Gao J, Liu G, Wu X, Li T, Woo Kim S, Yin Y. Metabolic Regulation of Methionine Restriction in Diabetes. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2018 May;62(10):e1700951. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201700951. PMID: 29603632. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29603632/
    6. Ables GP, Hens JR, Nichenametla SN. Methionine restriction beyond life-span extension. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2016 Jan;1363:68-79. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13014. Epub 2016 Feb 24. PMID: 26916321. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26916321/
    7. Perrone CE, Malloy VL, Orentreich DS, Orentreich N. Metabolic adaptations to methionine restriction that benefit health and lifespan in rodents. Exp Gerontol. 2013 Jul;48(7):654-60. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2012.07.005. Epub 2012 Jul 20. PMID: 22819757. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22819757/
    8. Lobanov, Alexey V., et al. “Dual Functions of Codons in the Genetic Code.” Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, vol. 45, no. 4, 1 Aug. 2010, pp. 257–265, 10.3109/10409231003786094; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3311535/
    9. Babault N, Païzis C, Deley G, Guérin-Deremaux L, Saniez MH, Lefranc-Millot C, Allaert FA. Pea proteins oral supplementation promotes muscle thickness gains during resistance training: a double-blind, randomized, Placebo-controlled clinical trial vs. Whey protein. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Jan 21;12(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s12970-014-0064-5; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25628520/
    10. Banaszek, Amy et al. “The Effects of Whey vs. Pea Protein on Physical Adaptations Following 8-Weeks of High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT): A Pilot Study.” Sports (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 7,1 12. 4 Jan. 2019, doi:10.3390/sports7010012 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6358922/
    11. Hertzler, Steven R., et al. “Plant Proteins: Assessing Their Nutritional Quality and Effects on Health and Physical Function.” Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 12, 30 Nov. 2020, p. 3704, 10.3390/nu12123704; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7760812/
    12. Rutherfurd, Shane M, et al. “Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Scores and Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Scores Differentially Describe Protein Quality in Growing Male Rats.” The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 145, no. 2, 26 Nov. 2014, pp. 372–379, 10.3945/jn.114.195438; https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/145/2/372/4585766
    13. Mathai, John K., et al. “Values for Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Scores (DIAAS) for Some Dairy and Plant Proteins May Better Describe Protein Quality than Values Calculated Using the Concept for Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Scores (PDCAAS).” British Journal of Nutrition, vol. 117, no. 04, Feb. 2017, pp. 490–499; 10.1017/s0007114517000125; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28382889/
    14. Yang, H, et al; “Evaluation of nutritional quality of a novel pea protein”; AgroFOOD Industry Hi-Tech; November/December 2012 – vol 23 n6; https://web.archive.org/web/20220112122732/https://www.sprim.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Evaluation-of-nutritional-quality-of-a-novel-pea-protein.pdf
    15. Sharp, Matthew H, et al. “Proteins and Amino Acids Treated with Atmospheric Plasma Show Significantly Increased Bioavailability in Humans.” Nutrition and Metabolic Insights, vol. 13, Jan. 2020, p. 117863882094923, 10.1177/1178638820949239; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1178638820949239
    16. Motosko, Catherine, and George Zakhem. “Effect of Atmospheric Plasma on the Surface Area of Powdered Whey Protein Isolate.” Matters, 14 Sept. 2017, 10.19185/matters.201707000006; https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Effect-of-Atmospheric-Plasma-on-the-Surface-Area-of-Motosko-Zakhem/aba8b2ea50d63a529ca5ff64e53595f30ca60782 ( Full-Text PDF Archive)
    17. Lightfoot, Heidi; “The Effect of Atmospheric Plasma on the Solubility and Dispersibility of Powdered Whey Protein Isolate”; May 1, 2018. doi:10.31232/osf.io/rh8un; https://osf.io/preprints/nutrixiv/rh8un/ ( PDF archive)
    18. Lightfoot Heidi; “The effect of atmospheric plasma on the hydrophobicity of powdered whey protein isolate”; Published online May 1, 2018. doi:10.31232/osf.io/hx75f; https://osf.io/preprints/nutrixiv/hx75f/ ( PDF archive)
    19. Aguilar Danielle; “The effect of atmospheric plasma on a protein thermal shift assay of powdered whey protein isolate”; May 2, 2018; https://osf.io/preprints/nutrixiv/pxdqb/ ( PDF Archive)
    20. del Castillo-Santaella, Teresa, et al. “Improved Digestibility of β-Lactoglobulin by Pulsed Light Processing: A Dilatational and Shear Study.” Soft Matter, vol. 10, no. 48, 28 Dec. 2014, pp. 9702–9714, 10.1039/c4sm01667j; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25358648/
    21. Sharp, Matthew H, et al. “Postprandial Plasma Amino Acid Responses between Standard Whey Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Isolate plus Novel Technology.” Nutrition and Metabolic Insights, vol. 12, Jan. 2019, p. 117863881982797, 10.1177/1178638819827970; https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1178638819827970

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