REVIEW - DYMATIZE NUTRITION DYMATIZE ELITE WHEY REVIEW

SUMMARY

OUR REVIEW

The supplement industry is a funny thing, the suppliers know two things matter to consumers; price and quality, and when it comes to whey protein there is a lot of choice on the market. Does a higher price point necessarily deliver a better quality product? Dymatize Nutrition has a reputation of offering quality products at a lower price point than many of their competitors.

 Already a big fan of Dymatize's premier hydrolysed whey protein Isolate (ISO-100), I was keen to see if these lofty standards carried over to their regular ‘Elite’ protein line and if indeed it allowed me to add some muscle without losing the extra pounds from my wallet.

Taste

After sampling the ISO-100 line I was expecting good things from Dymatize on the Elite front. I’ll start by saying although I wasn’t completely let down, I was a little disappointed. On the plus side there is a great variety of flavours from standards like Vanilla, Chocolate and Banana through to some more obscure flavours such as Butter Cream Toffee, Green Apple and Orange Dreamsical.

Out of the 10 or so flavours on offer I’ve so far worked my ‘whey’ through the Chocolate, Vanilla, Banana and Berry flavours. As a whole the flavours were generally pretty good. The Vanilla and Berry did carry a slightly synthetic taste but nothing that would perturb me from a repurchase. I did enjoy the Banana slightly better, although the flavour could have been a little stronger and was a little to thin, at least when mixed in water, this was drastically improved however when mixed in milk. Chocolate on the other hand is right up there and in my opinion even better than Optimum Nutrition’s 100% Gold Standard Chocolate.

For those familiar with the ISO-100 range the taste of the Elite flavours don’t quite live up the quality of the taste set there, but for a standard whey protein powder are satisfying enough, especially the chocolate.

Ease of Mixing

All flavours of the Elite Whey mixed very well in both milk and water. Despite a few thin texture issues the product showed no signs of clumping or grittiness and foaming was relatively minimal in all flavours. Overall Mixability probably isn’t quite as good as instant ON’s 100% but is easily remedied with an extra shake or two. As is the case with the ISO-100, little to no residue remained in or stuck to the walls of the shaker, again signs that Dymatize is practising what it preaches with a high quality product.
 

Effectiveness

As previously stated in my other protein reviews, it’s practically impossible to determine the effectiveness of protein supplements the same way as a pre-workout, BCAA’s or creatine supplement. However, provided you are following a good training and nutrition program, Dymatize’s Elite Whey should be able to assist in recovery, fitness, weight loss and most importantly help to repair and regenerate muscle tissue following a workout. For maximum effect ideally you’ll want to consume post-workout and preferably in combination with a fast acting carbohydrate source such as dextrose, maltodextrin or waxy maize (all of which can be found in our supplement store) to maximise insulin response and promote protein uptake into muscle cells. Personally I couldn’t tell any difference in my recovery and response from Dymatize’s Elite whey to other higher priced brands such as ON’s 100% Gold standard, AST’s VP2 or PVL’s XP3.

Nutritional Analysis

Dymatize’s Elite Whey is comprised of a protein blend of whey protein concentrates, ion-exchange whey protein isolate and whey peptides, although sadly no Hydrolysed isolates. A single serve/scoop (32.4g) delivers 117 calories providing 24 grams of protein and only 2 grams of fat and 2 grams of carbohydrate making it 74% protein by weight. To put this into perspective, Dymatize’s ISO-100 comes in at 86% although such a quantity is expected from a hydrolysed isolate and is reflected in its price. However, on a similar playing field Optimum Nutrition’s 100% gold standard also manages to get the jump on the Elite range offer 79% protein by weight.

One spot where Dymatize manages to edge out the competition is with its proprietary digestive enzyme blend which includes Zytrix, Protease, Lactase and Lipase designed to help amplify absorption, make it more digestible and appeal to those that may have a sensitivity to lactose. Dymatize’s digestive enzyme blend also offers one of the highest (40mg) in all the industry, in comparison Optimum Nutrition only contains a 25mg, which I found made it one of the easiest protein powders to stomach and never experienced any bloating. A healthy dose of BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids) leucine, valine and isoleucine and glutamine have also been added to help prevent muscle tissue breakdown and support muscle repair. Another plus Elite Whey contains no added sugar, fructose, salt, or carbohydrates.

Value for Money

Hands down where Dymatize’s Elite takes the cake is in its value for money. Whether you are after the small 908g tub ($39.95), standard 2.27kg tub ($76.70), or large 4.5kg box ($129.70) Dymatize offers excellent bang for your buck. The small (908g) tub provides 29 serves, the (2.27kg) mid-size 72 and the large (4.5kg) a whopping 140 serves, equating to roughly $1.38, $1.07 and $0.93 a serve respectively. To put it simply you’d be hard pressed to find a better priced protein supplement that offers the nutritional quality of Dymatize’s Elite Whey.

Conclusion

Dymatize’s Elite Whey accomplishes what it sets out to do and that is provide a quality protein supplement that tastes pretty good (most notable the chocolate), mixes easily and is priced substantially lower than the other big players in the industry. Usually when dealing with a cheaper protein supplements, companies tend to compromise on either the nutritional components or the taste, fortunately Dymatize breaks the mould and offers a protein supplement that manages to both talk the talk and walk the walk. Its Elite whey is a protein powder that is attractively priced, tastes good enough that you’ll actually want to drink it and yet contains the essentials to help maximise recovery, response, and muscle growth. It might be slightly outperformed in some of the fields by a few of its higher price competitors, but it certainly packs a punch for its price.