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CapyFuel is live in Malta & Cyprus

CapyFuel news · June 2026

CapyFuel is live in Malta and Cyprus. Gym-grade sports nutrition — clean labels, honest dosing — is now available with island-fast delivery across both markets. Stay calm. Stay strong. Stay fueled.

What’s launching

Our opening range covers the essentials, transparently dosed and EU-compliant:

Delivery to Malta & Cyprus

Standard shipping is €3.95, free over €55, with 24-hour dispatch and prices shown VAT-inclusive for each market. Returns are accepted within 14 days in-market.

Start here

New to supplements? Our guides keep it simple and honest — start with how much protein you need each day, or browse the full CapyFuel guides and shop the range.

Related: Whey protein guide · Creatine guide · Shop CapyFuel.

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Creatine monohydrate: what the research actually says

Written by the CapyFuel nutrition team · Reviewed June 2026

Few supplements have been studied as heavily as creatine, and yet few are surrounded by as much myth. If you cut through the marketing, the picture is refreshingly clear. The honest summary of the creatine monohydrate research is this: it is one of the most rigorously tested sports-nutrition ingredients available, and the regulators agree on one specific benefit. In the EU, the authorised health claim is that “Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise.” That claim applies when you consume 3 g of creatine per day. This guide walks through what creatine is, what the evidence genuinely supports, what tends to be overstated, how the research dosed it, and how to read the safety literature without either panic or hype.

What creatine is and how it works

Creatine is a compound your body already makes from amino acids, mostly in the liver and kidneys, and it is also found in foods like red meat and fish. Around 95% of the creatine in your body is stored in skeletal muscle, where it sits as phosphocreatine (PCr). That storage form is the key to understanding why the creatine monohydrate research keeps pointing at short, intense effort.

During very high-intensity activity—think a heavy set, a short sprint, a few seconds of all-out effort—your muscles burn through adenosine triphosphate (ATP) faster than the slower aerobic systems can replace it. The phosphocreatine system steps in to rapidly regenerate ATP, buying you a handful of extra seconds of high output before fatigue sets in. Supplementing creatine raises the amount of phosphocreatine your muscles can hold, which is the mechanism behind the authorised performance claim. It is a fuelling-system effect, not magic.

What the creatine monohydrate research robustly supports

The strongest, most replicated finding is the one the EU register recognises: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, at an intake of 3 g per day. In practice that means things like repeated sprints, repeated heavy sets, and other efforts where you go hard, rest briefly, and go hard again. This is where decades of trials converge most consistently.

It is worth being precise about why this matters. A claim that survives both independent replication and a formal regulatory review is a different beast from a claim that lives only in advertising copy. The short-burst, high-intensity performance benefit clears that bar. If you want the practical, plain-English version of how to apply it, our creatine monohydrate guide ties the science to everyday training.

What gets overstated

Here is where honesty matters. Plenty of claims attached to creatine go well beyond what the authorised performance claim says, and we will not repeat them. Creatine is not a fat-loss product, it is not a body-shaping shortcut, and it is not a treatment for any health condition. The authorised claim is specific and narrow on purpose: a performance effect in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, at 3 g per day. Anything dressed up beyond that—dramatic transformation promises, medical-sounding benefits—is marketing language, not a regulatory conclusion.

A common point of confusion is the scale weight people sometimes notice after starting creatine. The plain explanation is that creatine draws a little extra water into muscle tissue; it is a fluid-related change, not what the performance claim is about. We cover that and other misunderstandings in the creatine myths guide. Treating the authorised claim as the ceiling, rather than the floor, is the most honest way to set expectations.

Dosing the research actually uses

The number that anchors the authorised claim is simple: 3 g of creatine per day. That is the maintenance intake tied to the increase in physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, and for most people it is all the structure they need—one modest daily dose, taken consistently.

You will also see an optional “loading” approach in the literature, where a higher intake is taken for a short initial period to fill muscle stores faster, before settling into a steady daily amount. Loading is a way to reach saturation sooner; it is not a requirement, and a steady daily intake gets you to the same place over a slightly longer window. If you want the full breakdown of maintenance versus loading and how to size a daily scoop, see the creatine dosage guide. As with any supplement, if you have specific health circumstances or take medication, it is sensible to check with a qualified healthcare professional before starting.

Timing and consistency

One of the most reassuring things about the creatine monohydrate research is how forgiving it is on timing. Creatine works by gradually saturating muscle stores and keeping them topped up, so the single most important variable is consistency, not the exact minute you take it. A daily dose, taken on a schedule you will actually stick to, is what builds and maintains those stores.

Because the effect is about sustained muscle saturation rather than an acute pre-workout hit, you do not need to obsess over taking it precisely before training. Pick a moment you will remember—with a meal, with your morning routine, alongside another habit—and keep it steady. Missing an occasional day is not a crisis; abandoning the daily habit is what undoes the benefit. Unflavoured monohydrate makes this easy to fold in: our unflavoured creatine monohydrate stirs into water, a shake, or coffee without changing the taste.

Reading the safety literature in plain terms

Creatine monohydrate is among the most-studied sports supplements, and a large body of research has examined it over extended periods in healthy adults. We are not in a position to give medical advice, so here we will simply describe how to read the recurring worries neutrally.

The three questions that come up most are water, hair, and kidneys. The “water” point is the fluid shift into muscle described above—a normal, expected change rather than a problem. The hair and kidney concerns are the subject of persistent online claims that are not supported by the weight of the evidence; we walk through each one calmly in the creatine myths guide rather than amplifying them here. The sensible, non-medical takeaway: creatine has been extensively studied, and if you have an existing health condition, are pregnant, or take medication, the right move is to talk to a qualified healthcare professional before starting. That caveat is good practice for any supplement, not a red flag unique to creatine.

Why monohydrate is the most-studied form

You will see creatine sold in various forms, often marketed as newer, fancier, or “better absorbed.” But when researchers ran the trials that built the evidence base—and that ultimately underpinned the authorised performance claim—the form they overwhelmingly used was creatine monohydrate. It is the reference standard against which other forms are compared.

That history is the whole reason to favour it. The authorised claim and the bulk of the supportive research rest on monohydrate, so choosing it means choosing the exact form the evidence actually examined. Alternative forms generally cost more while asking you to trust that they match a benchmark that monohydrate already meets. For a product where the science is the selling point, sticking with the most-studied form is simply the honest choice—which is why our creatine is plain, unflavoured monohydrate and nothing else.

The honest bottom line

Strip away the noise and the creatine monohydrate research lands on solid, modest ground. There is a recognised, regulator-backed benefit: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise, at an intake of 3 g per day. There is a clear, well-studied form—monohydrate. And there is a simple way to use it: a steady daily dose, taken consistently, with timing that fits your routine.

What there is not is a need for inflated promises. Creatine does not have to be more than it is to be worth using, because what it genuinely does is well evidenced and clearly stated. If you keep your expectations aligned with the authorised claim and take it consistently at 3 g per day, you are using one of the most rigorously studied supplements exactly the way the research intended.

Authorised EU health claim wording and conditions of use are published in the EU health-claims register.

Related: Creatine monohydrate guide · Creatine dosage · Creatine myths · Unflavoured creatine monohydrate

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Whey isolate vs whey concentrate: which should you choose?

Written by the CapyFuel nutrition team · Reviewed June 2026

If you have ever stood in front of a wall of tubs squinting at the label, the whey isolate vs concentrate question is probably the one stalling your cart. Both are dairy-derived whey proteins, both deliver the amino acids your body uses, and protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass and to the maintenance of muscle mass. So the choice rarely comes down to “which one works” — it comes down to purity, lactose, cost and what your stomach and budget can comfortably handle. Let’s walk through it honestly.

How whey is made (and where the two split)

Whey starts life as a by-product of cheese-making. When milk is curdled, it separates into curds (the cheese) and a watery liquid — that liquid is whey, and it is rich in fast-digesting protein. From there, manufacturers filter and dry it, and the amount of filtering is exactly where concentrate and isolate part ways.

Whey concentrate is the less-processed form. The liquid whey is filtered (usually by ultrafiltration), concentrated and spray-dried. Because the processing stops sooner, concentrate keeps more of the naturally occurring carbohydrate (lactose), fat and milk fractions alongside the protein.

Whey isolate goes through extra steps — typically microfiltration or ion-exchange — to strip out most of the remaining lactose and fat. The result is a more concentrated protein powder where, gram for gram, a larger share of the scoop is pure protein. More processing, more purity, slightly more cost. That trade-off is the heart of the whey isolate vs concentrate debate.

Protein percentage per scoop

The headline difference is protein density. Concentrate generally lands somewhere around 70–80% protein by weight, with the rest made up of carbohydrate, fat and moisture. Isolate typically sits around 90% protein or higher, because the additional filtering removes much of what isn’t protein.

In practical terms: a 30 g scoop of a good concentrate might give you roughly 22–24 g of protein, while a 30 g scoop of isolate often gives you 25–27 g from the same scoop size. It is a meaningful gap, but not a chasm. If you are simply trying to hit a daily protein target, both get you there — you just nudge your scoop size or count slightly. (For working out what that daily target actually is, see our guide on how much protein you actually need each day.)

Lactose, carbs and fat: the digestion question

This is where the whey isolate vs concentrate comparison gets personal. Because isolate is filtered more aggressively, it contains very little lactose — often low enough that people who find concentrate sits heavily simply do fine with it. Concentrate retains more lactose, more residual carbohydrate and a little more fat.

If dairy generally agrees with you, concentrate’s small lactose content is a non-issue, and the extra carbs and fat are trivial in the context of a whole day’s eating. If you tend to feel bloated or unsettled after milk-based foods, isolate’s lower lactose can feel noticeably gentler. None of this is medical advice — lactose tolerance varies enormously between individuals, and if you have persistent digestive discomfort it is worth speaking to a qualified healthcare professional rather than guessing. We cover the topic in more depth in our piece on whey protein and lactose digestion.

The extra fat and carbohydrate in concentrate are also why some people find it tastes a touch richer and creamier — which, depending on your preferences, is either a bonus or a downside.

Cost, taste and mixability

Concentrate is usually the cheaper option per serving, simply because it takes less processing to produce. If you are buying protein in bulk, getting through a tub every few weeks, and your stomach is happy, that lower cost per serving adds up over a year. Isolate costs a little more for that extra purity and lower lactose — you are paying for the additional filtering.

On taste and texture, the two have different characters. Concentrate’s slightly higher fat and carb content tends to make it thicker, creamier and arguably more indulgent in a shake. Isolate is often a touch lighter and thinner, and it mixes very cleanly — handy if you like a fast, no-clumps shake with just water. Neither is universally “better”; it is genuinely a matter of taste. Modern formulations of both blend smoothly with a shaker, so mixability is rarely a dealbreaker on either side.

A quick word on hydrolysate

You will sometimes see a third option: whey hydrolysate. This is whey (often isolate) that has been partially “pre-digested” — its protein chains are broken into smaller fragments, which can mean very fast absorption. It is typically the most expensive of the three and tends to taste more bitter. For most everyday goals it is overkill; concentrate or isolate covers the vast majority of needs. We mention it mainly so you recognise the word on a label and don’t feel you’re missing out by skipping it.

Which should you choose? (by goal, budget and tolerance)

Here is where the whey isolate vs concentrate decision becomes refreshingly simple. Match the powder to your situation rather than to marketing.

If you’re on a budget and your stomach is fine

Concentrate is the sensible pick. You get strong protein content per scoop, a creamier shake, and the lowest cost per serving. As long as dairy doesn’t bother you, there is little reason to pay more.

If you’re sensitive to lactose or want it leaner

Isolate is the gentler, leaner choice. The lower lactose tends to sit more comfortably, and the higher protein percentage with less carbohydrate and fat suits anyone watching those numbers closely. The maintenance of muscle mass is supported by protein regardless of which you choose, so you’re not sacrificing the core benefit — you’re just buying easier digestion.

If you want the simplest “just give me one” answer

An isolate-led blend is the most universally agreeable. It keeps lactose low, protein high and texture clean, while a touch of concentrate can round out the taste. That’s the route we took with CapyFuel — more on that below.

Does it actually change your results?

Here’s the honest, slightly deflating truth: for the goals most people have, the choice between isolate and concentrate makes far less difference than your total daily protein and overall diet. Both deliver a complete, fast-digesting protein. Protein contributes to the maintenance of normal bones as well as to a growth in muscle mass — and those benefits come from getting enough quality protein across the day, not from the last 5% of purity on a label.

So if you hit your daily protein target consistently, train sensibly and recover well, you’ll do fine on either. Choose the one that fits your budget, agrees with your gut and tastes good enough that you’ll actually keep drinking it. Consistency beats optimisation every time.

Where CapyFuel lands

We built our whey as an isolate-led blend on purpose. Isolate forms the base for low lactose and a high protein percentage per scoop, so it sits well for most people and mixes cleanly — while a measured amount of concentrate keeps the taste and texture satisfying rather than thin. The aim was the “just give me one” answer above: a powder that suits the broadest range of stomachs, goals and budgets without forcing you to overthink the whey isolate vs concentrate question every time you reorder. If you want to see how that plays out in a tub, our chocolate whey protein is the place to start.

Authorised health claims for protein are listed in the EU health-claims register.

Related: The complete whey protein guide · How much protein do you actually need each day · Whey protein and lactose digestion

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How much protein do you actually need each day?

Written by the CapyFuel nutrition team · Reviewed June 2026

Work out how much protein per day you actually need and you can stop guessing at the shaker. Protein is the one macronutrient with genuinely strong, regulator-recognised credentials: protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass, to the maintenance of muscle mass, and to the maintenance of normal bones. That is a useful starting point, but it tells you what protein does, not how many grams belong on your plate. This guide turns the science into a number you can use, with worked examples, a sensible range for active adults, and an honest look at where the returns flatten out.

The short answer: how much protein per day for active adults

For most people who train regularly, the practical target sits between 1.4 and 2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day. That range is wide on purpose. The lower end suits someone doing a few moderate sessions a week and eating enough total food; the upper end suits someone training hard, training often, or eating in a calorie deficit (more on that below). If you want a single mental anchor for how much protein per day, “roughly 1.6 g/kg” is a defensible middle for an active adult and easy to scale up or down.

This is deliberately higher than the population baseline, because the baseline answers a different question. The dietary reference values are set to prevent deficiency across the general public, not to optimise training adaptation.

EFSA’s baseline: 0.83 g/kg as a floor, not a target

The European Food Safety Authority sets a Population Reference Intake of 0.83 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day for healthy adults. Read that number correctly: it is the amount estimated to meet the needs of nearly everyone in the general population, i.e. a floor that keeps you out of deficiency. It is not the amount that supports the best response to resistance training, nor the amount most strength and conditioning bodies recommend for active people.

So treat 0.83 g/kg as the line you should comfortably clear, and the 1.4–2.0 g/kg band as where active adults usually want to live. Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass, and clearing the floor by a healthy margin is the simplest way to support that day to day.

Reference: European Food Safety Authority Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies, Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for protein. EFSA protein DRV

How to calculate your number (worked examples)

The maths is one line: bodyweight in kilograms × your chosen g/kg figure = daily protein in grams. Pick the multiplier from the range above based on how hard and how often you train. Here is how that plays out:

  • 70 kg, moderately active: 70 × 1.4 = 98 g/day at the low end; 70 × 1.8 = 126 g/day if training is intense. A working target of ~110 g sits comfortably in the middle.
  • 85 kg, training hard 4–5× a week: 85 × 1.6 = 136 g/day; push to 85 × 2.0 = 170 g/day in a demanding block. Around 145–150 g is a sensible everyday figure.
  • 60 kg, lighter training load: 60 × 1.4 = 84 g/day; 60 × 1.8 = 108 g/day. Roughly 90–95 g covers most of the week.

If you carry a lot of body fat, calculating from a target or “ideal” bodyweight rather than current scale weight avoids inflating the number unnecessarily. For most people, though, current bodyweight is a perfectly good input. Round to something you can hit consistently, because consistency over a week matters more than precision on any single day.

Protein per meal and distribution across the day

Total daily protein is the headline, but how you spread it has a smaller, real effect. The body uses protein most efficiently when it arrives in reasonable doses across the day rather than all in one sitting. A practical pattern is three to four meals each carrying roughly 0.3–0.4 g/kg of protein — for an 80 kg person that’s about 25–35 g per meal — spaced out from breakfast to evening.

That doesn’t mean a missed dose ruins the day. If you nail your daily total but eat it in two big meals, you’ll still do fine. Even distribution is the optimisation layer on top of getting the total right, not a prerequisite. Where it helps most is for people training to support the maintenance of muscle mass over the long haul, and for anyone who simply finds smaller, frequent protein hits easier to digest and easier to remember.

Food sources vs a whey top-up

Whole foods should do most of the work. Chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, lean meat, and a mix of legumes, tofu, and grains will get many people close to their target without a single scoop of powder. A rough guide: a palm-sized portion of cooked chicken or fish is around 25–30 g of protein, three eggs about 18 g, a 170 g pot of Greek yoghurt around 15–17 g.

The problem is rarely knowing this and usually doing it — hitting 140 g of protein from food alone, every day, around work and travel and the days you just can’t face another chicken breast. That’s the gap a whey top-up fills. It’s fast, portable, and lets you close a 20–40 g shortfall in seconds. Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass and to the maintenance of muscle mass whether it arrives via a fillet or a shaker; whey is simply a convenient delivery format, not a magic one. If you’re new to powders, our complete guide to whey protein covers the basics, and our breakdown of whey isolate vs whey concentrate helps you pick the right type for your stomach and your budget.

Fat-loss phases vs gaining: it’s a calorie context, not a claim

Your protein target shifts a little with your overall calorie intake — and this is about energy balance, not about protein doing anything magical to your shape. When you eat in a calorie deficit (taking in less energy than you burn), nudging protein toward the upper end of the range, around 1.8–2.2 g/kg, is a common approach, because protein helps support the maintenance of muscle mass while overall food is restricted, and it tends to be the most satiating macronutrient meal for meal.

When you’re eating at maintenance or in a calorie surplus (taking in more energy than you burn), there’s less need to push protein as high; somewhere in the 1.4–1.8 g/kg band is typically plenty, with the extra calories coming from carbohydrate and fat to fuel training. To be clear: we’re framing this purely as how protein fits within different total-calorie situations. Protein is not a weight-loss agent and won’t change your body composition on its own.

Is more always better? The point of diminishing returns

Past a certain point, extra protein mostly just makes for expensive, well-fuelled trips to the kitchen. The benefit for supporting muscle mass climbs steeply from the EFSA floor up through roughly 1.6 g/kg, then flattens; by about 2.0–2.2 g/kg most active people have captured the meaningful gains. Eating more than that isn’t harmful for healthy adults with normal kidney function, but it rarely adds anything beyond crowding out other nutrients and your wallet.

So the honest answer to “should I just eat as much protein as possible?” is no. Hit a sensible figure within the range, keep it consistent, and spend your remaining effort on training, sleep, and total calories — the things still doing real work once protein is handled.

Special considerations: older adults and the very active

A couple of groups sit naturally toward the top of the range. Older adults generally benefit from a higher protein intake than younger adults to support the maintenance of muscle mass and the maintenance of normal bones as the years add up; many guidelines for this group point above 1.0 g/kg and often higher when activity allows. Very active people — high training volume, endurance plus strength, or heavy physical jobs — also tend to do better at the upper end, simply because their demands are greater.

These are general pointers, not personal prescriptions. Individual needs vary with health, medication, and goals, so anyone with a medical condition or specific concern should speak to a qualified professional rather than rely on a rule of thumb.

Where whey fits into all of this

Once you’ve got your number, whey earns its place as the easiest way to defend it. It’s a complete, fast-digesting protein that slots neatly into the per-meal distribution pattern, works as a post-training serving, and turns a missed target into a non-event. Our chocolate whey protein delivers a clean dose per scoop, so topping up your daily total is a thirty-second job rather than another meal to cook.

Build the foundation from whole foods, calculate a target in the 1.4–2.0 g/kg band, spread it across the day, and let a scoop or two close the gap on the days real life gets in the way. Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass, to the maintenance of muscle mass, and to the maintenance of normal bones — getting how much protein per day right is simply how you put that to work.

Related: The complete guide to whey protein · Whey isolate vs whey concentrate: which should you choose? · CapyFuel Chocolate Whey Protein