On the thread about how recent metabolic research indicates impaired pyruvate dehydrogenase function in ME/CFS, new forum member @Murph kindly told us:
And, after we assured him we didn't think he was a shill and asking him to give us the brand of the whey powder, he said:
Here's info about the contents of this product from the manufacturer's website:
https://www.dymatize.com/iso100
... but it doesn't seem to be broken down much.
I'm assuming that the flavourings in this particular product might well trigger migraines for me (I get migraines triggered by tyramine and, I think, strong flavours) so was hoping to find a flavouring-free version with a similar profile.
But I'm not sure what the profile is! @Murph, if you don't mind me piling on yet another question, could you tell me where you've seen the breakdown of amino acid ingredients? I'm wondering if all whey protein powders have the same profile.
Is anyone aware of a comparable one that isn't flavoured?
Murph said:I've been a patient at CFS Discovery, the clinic run by Dr Lewis in Melbourne, Australia. (He's co-author on some of those metabolic papers by @@ChrisArmstrong, et al.)
I was out at his clinic a few weeks ago (prior to this Fluge, Mella paper dropping, but I now suspect he was well aware of its contents) and he encouraged me to add amino acids to my diet, in the form of whey powder.
I bought the brand he recommended (which I shan't name here in my first post for fear of appearing to be a shill!) and have been consuming it each day since.
I keep a health diary which shows improvement over that period, although I am aware that this time of year is unusual and so not a great time for drawing definitive conclusions from data.
What I found interesting is that two of the most abundant AAs in the mix are the two ketogenic amino acids being discussed above: Lysine and Leucine. It also contains smaller amounts of several of the other "Category II" acids that Fluge et al indicate feed into production of Acetyl-CoA downstream of the hypothesised PDH obstruction.
The take-away message I guess, is that at least one respected physician suspects amino acid supplementation may be beneficial, and at least one patient has tried it (however briefly) with at least some possible upside.
And, after we assured him we didn't think he was a shill and asking him to give us the brand of the whey powder, he said:
Murph said:As for questions about whether whey is meant to spur ketosis, I don't think so, but I admit I don't remember everything the doctor said when he recommended it. (The recommendation came before I'd read about *why* it might work, so I lacked a framework to integrate what he was saying. Much of the technical detail went, sadly, in one ear and out the other!)
One thing I do recall is he said to take it after my daily activities, (which is presumably a point where glycogen stores are diminished) where it might work as a PEM preventer.
It is whey protein isolate, hydrolysed, made with "cross-flow microfiltration." The brand is Dymatize ISO 100. I've bought whey only once, but I'd be surprised if there were not other types that are the same. As for dose, I'm taking one 31g scoop per diem, in water, but I will experiment over time. [...]
The doc also recommended digestive enzymes, which I bought at the same time. They are still unopened - I'm trying to minimise the number of simultaneous changes for the sake of untangling cause and effect.
Here's info about the contents of this product from the manufacturer's website:
https://www.dymatize.com/iso100
... but it doesn't seem to be broken down much.
I'm assuming that the flavourings in this particular product might well trigger migraines for me (I get migraines triggered by tyramine and, I think, strong flavours) so was hoping to find a flavouring-free version with a similar profile.
But I'm not sure what the profile is! @Murph, if you don't mind me piling on yet another question, could you tell me where you've seen the breakdown of amino acid ingredients? I'm wondering if all whey protein powders have the same profile.
Is anyone aware of a comparable one that isn't flavoured?