One of the most common questions I’m asked by friends, people i know, and through random encounters (stemming from no homo mirin in the gym) when it comes to protein supplements is ‘What is the difference between true whey or impact whey’. My Protein is a supplement juggernaut in the UK, and I always recommend them to my friends based on my years of experience using them. Myprotein celebrated their 10th Birthday in June of 2014, and I’ve been using them since around 2007. That’s the same age of a small, annoying, kid. I feel like a proud dad.
After someone asks me what brand of protein I use, I can guarantee that night i’ll receive a facebook message asking me, which protein should I get true whey or impact whey, what is the difference between impact whey and true whey, and which one is best? Well MyProtein’s True Whey is the very first My Protein supplement I ever used. This was way back when MyProtein had a much smaller supplement range, and long before I ever found a MyProtein discount code to use to get my protein even cheaper. I actually stuck with True Whey for years (back when it came in a tub not a pouch), until they unfortunately upped their price when the UK Government annoyingly started to charge TAX on sports supplements. Those cheap supplements, creatine and pre-workout you used to pick up for less than a night out on the lashing and a kebab? Suddenly sky rocketed in price. The pain was almost as bad as losing gains. Not quite as bad, but almost.
When True Whey increased in price, I began using Impact Whey, as it was a more affordable option. In my Impact Whey Protein Review I actually labelled it as the best budget protein powder in the UK, and I still stand by this statement. Both of these supplements we’re looking at today are protein powder. Both would be an excellent addition to your supplement stack. Both will help you make gains. But lets cut the crap, and get down to the question at hand. WTF is the difference between impact whey and true whey?
The Difference Between True Whey & Impact Whey
Buying supplements is a confusing shopping experience, especially on the high street (we even have a handy guide to protein powders for dummies to help you out). Fortunately bulk, cheap supplements suppliers strip away the fancy packing, confusing labels, and offer a straight forward solution to our supplement needs. However, as these bulk suppliers add more and more products to their range, confusion rears its ugly ass, just like that old guy who drops his pants every time he starts a conversation with you in the gym (whether your in the changing rooms or not…talk about awkward) The difference between True Whey & Impact Whey is actually pretty simple.
Impact Whey Explained
Impact Whey is a no frills, best value for money whey protein concentrate. It contains just over 80% protein content, and im not kidding when I say it is one of the best value protein powders available on the market. It doesn’t contain anything fancy. It isn’t a blend of protein’s, it isn’t enriched with carbs, creatine or additional supplements. Impact Whey is just a pure whey protein concentrate.
I’ve covered why I believe Impact Whey is the best value for money whey protein in my Impact Whey Protein Review, so be sure to check that out for more information on this supplement. For your added convenience though (because if you’re like me, you’re probably too lazy to actually click the link containing more useful information) i’ve provided the nutritional info for Impact Whey down below. In the words of Damien Sandow… YOU’RE WELCOME!
True Whey Explained
The difference between Impact Whey and True Whey, is that True Whey contains a blend of whey protein concentrate, as well as MyProtein’s whey protein isolate. The True Whey protein blend is further fortified with Digezyme & Lactospore.
Digezyme is added to True Whey to help with the digestion of this protein shake. Some people often complain that they feel bloated when drinking a protein shake, or find themselves on the toilet. Blaming this on the quality of the protein isn’t always the case though. A beginner who is not accustomed to eating their body weight (in grams of course) in protein will not be used to consuming so much, and especially not in the form of such large doses in a drink. Its easy for them to immediately think that their protein shake is the cause of their stinky ass problems, but sometimes this just isn’t the case.
Lactospore are probiotics, which helps contribute to general gut health, and aids in digestion.
If you’ve been following a high protein diet for some time, and find that your current whey protein concentrate doesn’t agree with you, (this may or may not be impact whey) then I would definitely recommend trying out True Whey. I can speak with great confidence that you won’t suffer any stomache, digestion or stinky ass problems using True Whey.
True Whey Vs Impact Whey
So which is right for you? Where should you splash your cash? Lets first take a look at what MyProtein touts as the key benefits of each.
| True Whey | Impact Whey |
| £0.44 Per serving Contains both whey protein concentrate & whey protein isolate Contains digestive enzymes to help with digestion Contains Lactospore to help with general gut health No filler ingredients Foam Free & Instant Mixing |
£0.31 Per Serving Pure Whey Protein Concentrate 82% Protein Content Low in Fat & Sugar No filler ingredients Budget Price Huge flavour selection |
As expected, True Whey is the more expensive option of the 2. These prices were established of flavoured versions of each product, without discount applied, looking at the 2.27kg bag of true whey and 2.5kg bag of impact whey.
Impact whey does contain a lot more flavours that True Whey. You can check out the entire range of impact whey flavours here, and the entire range of true whey flavours here. Of course if you want to save even more money, then buying unflavoured will get you it for even cheaper. Before you start thinking about the pennies you’re going to be saving by picking up a bag of unflavoured, head my advice young padawan. Its pennies. If you plan on having a few shakes a day, hell even just 1 shake a day, you’re going to want to enjoy it. I understand you wanting to save money, but for the sake of a few pence, id recommend picking up a flavoured protein powder, and enjoying your shakes.
That being said, I sometimes do buy unflavoured protein powder, BUT I have a reason for it. I’ll buy an unflavoured bag of protein powder, in the biggest bag possible, which is usually 5kg. I then go and pick up one of the MyProtein flavouring systems. They sell powders and drops. These are basically calorie free, sugar free sweeteners. The same products used my all protein manufacturers to flavour their supplements. As much as I can stomach eating chicken and rice 3 times a day, day in day out. When it comes to protein shakes, I like a variety of flavours. What I do is buy a few different flavours from the flavouring range. This then gives me the choice and flexability to have a difference flavour each time if I so desire.
True Whey Vs Impact Whey – Nutritional Value Comparison
| True Whey | Impact Whey |
| PER 25g SERVING: Energy (kJ/kcal): 409/98 Fat: 1.6g of which saturates: 0.0g Carbohydrates: 1.7g of which sugars: 1.5g Protein: 18.7g Salt: 0.1g |
Per 25g: Energy: 98.3Kcal Energy: 414.0kJ Protein (dry basis): 20.5g Protein (as-is): 19.6g Fat: 1.7g Carbohydrates: 1.5g Calcium: 125.0mg Cholesterol: 0.5mg |
So on first glance you may be thinking that Impact Whey has the superior nutritional profile. Both contain a very similar level of fats and carbs, however Impact Whey contains more protein. So you might be thinking, how the hell can My Protein charge more for True Whey? Remember, True Whey is a blend. It also contains the Lactospore & Digezyme, which contributes to overall weight of the product. Also remember that True Whey contains both impact whey, concentrate whey protein, and whey protein isolate, a superior quality of protein powder. Just remember to factor these into consideration, and not take this nutritional information on face value.
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Taste & Texture Comparison
As mentioned, True Whey doesn’t come in as many flavour variants as Impact Whey. Im not sure how many flavours you’d like to pick from, or how many flavours of protein shake you’re going to need, but impact whey comes in 36 different flavours, including an additional unflavoured variant, for a total of 37 buying choices. True Whey is available in 12 flavours. Rather than getting the ordinary vanilla, True Whey comes in ‘Velvet Vanilla’. Forget the plain-ass raspberry, True Whey is all about that Raspberry Ripple. This is largely marketing, to reinforce the premium nature of the True Whey shake. Some of the Impact flavours look, questionable, to me. Rhubarb & custard? Apple crumble & custard? I’ve never tried them, but I cant physically imagine how a shake could capture that same flavour.
Likewise however, you could look at cookies and cream and think the same thing. Speaking from experience however, cookies and cream is my favourite flavour of protein shake from myprotein. It would be interesting to sample some of these flavours, and it’s something I’ll probably do in a future taste test review. What I would recommend though, is the following. If you’re going to buy a large bag, buy a ‘safe option’ or buy something you’ve tried before. If you’ve got to glug your way through 100 servings of protein shake to make gains, you’re going to want to enjoy them.
For any flavours that peak your interest, always try a sample pack first. If the flavour you want isn’t listed there, then you could try and get in touch with MyProteins customer service team and ask if they can hook you up with a specific flavour sample when you put in your next order. So now that you’re taste buds are tingling harder than peter parker seeing Doc Ock wrapping his tentacles around Mary Jane, you’re probably wondering what the texture, and mixability is like of each.
Unless you’re mixing impact whey with only a small amount of water, in a small ass shaker, you’re not going to have any problems with them clumping. Simple as. Infact, the only times I found impact whey to clump was when using the ring spirals that come with protein shakers. Using a standard shaker, and a good amount of liquid, you’ll never have any problems. Depending on which flavour you’re having though, levels of froth does differ. At least they have for more. The texture is pretty standard. With milk, you’re getting a standard milk shake texture. When mixed with water, the consistency is a lot more runny. If you prefer your protein shakes thick, but are using water, then you’ll want to mix in the minimum amount of water possible. This is the only time where clumping may occur. If you’re using milk though, squeeze it straight from the udder and go crazy.
True Whey on the other hand, is definitely the creme da le creme when it comes to texture. Taste wise, both true whey and impact are very similar. However True Whey’s icing on the cake is in its texture and mixability. This is where the premium nature of True Whey shines through, in my opinion.
I can’t quite make a valid comparison to demonstrate or explain this, other than saying that True Whey is the ‘luxury’ brand of protein shakes. For some, this difference may not be all that noticeable. To me, there was a big difference. The True Whey is a tastier, more authentic protein shake in comparison to whey. That being said, as a student looking to bodybuild on a budget, this superiority was not enough to make me pay the extra for True Whey. I stuck with Impact Whey all throughout Uni, as it did the same job as the True Whey, and helped me make gains in the gym, and in my wallet.
Which Should You Buy?
True Whey won’t make you pack on muscle any quicker in comparison to MyProtein’s Impact Whey. So if you’re comparing these supplements based on gains, you’re not going to notice any difference in muscle building gains, providing your consuming the same amount of macro’s and training the same.
The difference between True Whey & Impact whey comes down to digestibality and taste. If you’ve had troubles with drinking shakes in the past, then do yourself a favour and spend the extra few quid on True Whey. If budget is tight, and you don’t have any problems with bloating or digestion, then you can’t go wrong with Impact Whey. You could always try a ‘blind test’. If digestion isn’t a problem, take a sample sachet of true whey and impact whey, making sure they are the same flavour. Get some one to mix them for you, using the exact same amount of liquid. Taste both. If you can’t tell a difference between the taste and texture, and don’t have any digestive problems, go for Impact Whey. If you thought one was tastier, go for that one. It may or may not be the True Whey which you find better.
If money isn’t a concern, and you’re eyeing up these 2 products, I would recommend paying the extra and going for True Whey, but that’s just me. When I was in Uni, and on a budget however, I got by just fine on Impact Whey, and didn’t feel as though I was ‘missing out’. Of course there are other types of whey protein I would recommend such as MyProtein’s Micellar Casein, along with Impact Whey Isolate & Hydrolysed Protein. You may also benefit from checking what other athletes use, such as the Simeon Panda Stack, or check out our interviews to see what pro’s are using.
Just remember, if you’re a beginner, or even an intermediate, or don’t want your hobby of weight lifting to turn into a money sink, don’t get caught up in the hype of supplementation. Supplement’s aren’t the secret to getting gains in the gym. As I’ve progressed and educated myself on different supplements, i’ve been able to provide honest supplement reviews based on my experiences. Let me re-assure you by saying you really can’t go wrong with adding impact whey or true whey to your supplement stack.
For more information on Impact Whey read our full impact whey review here. You can also check out our True Whey Review if you want to know more about this premium protein blend, along with checking out our thoughts on myprotein supplements over in the myprotein review section. If you plan on picking up any of these supplements make sure to use any of our exclusive My Protein Voucher Codes to ensure you get them for the cheapest price possible.
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Adam Foster is an aspiring bodybuilder, and has been training since a teenager. As the founder of the website & youtube channel 'Shreddybrek' he shares his experiences and knowledge via informative videos and articles. Get in touch if you have any questions!
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