Whey protein intolerance - why?

[Marylib]

Trying to understand why the stuff makes me feel queasy - I can digest milk, so I don't get it. Not easy to find a protein powder that works for me. Any suggestions?

 

[BrightCandle]

When I was using Protein powders I tried a few different things, a Pea/Soya Protein, Whey and Whey Isolate. For me the Pea and Soya set my bowels into a painful spin, as did Whey. However Whey Isolate didn't. I think vegetable proteins are often a cause of gut distress and I am going through that right now as I try to get my guts to accept Legumes. Whey is quite dense lactose but also some other things, the purest form is Whey Isolate and usually the least likely to cause GI distress, its worth trying isolate and a vegetable protein to see if you can tolerate those instead of the usual Whey protein.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Trying to understand why the stuff makes me feel queasy

Whey 'protein' is a highly concentrated form of amino acids, which have been hydrolyzed and separated each from each, leaving a lot of free-standing aminos which, under some circumstances, can cause mischief.

A 'protein' is a chain of aminos, constructed for a specific systemic purpose

How's your kidney function? Digesting a lot of protein all at once can be difficult if your kidneys are already under stress.

I know I went thru a period where I had to cut whey out of my diet completely, along with just about everything else, including all supps and vitamins, that I seemed to have become highly reactive to. As nearly as I could tell, it was the free glutamic acid in whey that was the culprit in my case, and after about 3 or so years of restabilizing on my highly restricted diet, I've recently (probably 8 months ago) slowly started adding whey back in with no ill effects.

I sih wish I had something more to offer, but this isnt my best brain day. If anything else occurs, I'll be back.

EDIT ... for usual whimsical typos and weird little words. Like 'sih' ....

 

[Marylib]

Thanks. Yeah, some amino's are okay on their own. Kidneys are okay. Could be the glutamic acid. And I may have overdone it with the whey protein years ago and am still sensitive to it.

 

[Marylib]

When I was using Protein powders I tried a few different things, a Pea/Soya Protein, Whey and Whey Isolate. For me the Pea and Soya set my bowels into a painful spin, as did Whey. However Whey Isolate didn't. I think vegetable proteins are often a cause of gut distress and I am going through that right now as I try to get my guts to accept Legumes. Whey is quite dense lactose but also some other things, the purest form is Whey Isolate and usually the least likely to cause GI distress, its worth trying isolate and a vegetable protein to see if you can tolerate those instead of the usual Whey protein.

Thanks. Yes, I need to explore. Legumes and I never do well together. If I had more energy I could just more animal protein, which I digest well, but it involves cooking, which means standing up... I would rather be a vegan, but some things are not meant to be at this point.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Could be the glutamic acid. And I may have overdone it with the whey protein years ago and am still sensitive to it.

I'd done the same thing early on in ME, relying on whey to boost my daily protein during the initial stages when I didnt have enough oomph to put an actual meal together .

The good news is that tolerance apparently abates ....

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Legumes and I never do well together. If I had more energy I could just more animal protein, which I digest well, but it involves cooking, which means standing up... I would rather be a vegan, but some things are not meant to be at this point.

Hugely frustrating...I was on the strictest vegan diet in the world for about four years when I was young (and I was not doing well on it AT ALL).

I fall apart starving at gourmet vegan retreats. Somebody thinks Potatoes are dinner.

I eat almost entirely cooked food because of my wind and IBS issues. Very little is raw.

Warm oily cooked.

Now I seem to handle well cooked beans. I'm fairly OK. I think there is something about making sure they are very well done.....(ie..canned beans sometimes seem to need to cook more)

I cannot tolerate any of the protein powders with Pea or Legume. Maybe tis Ok once or twice then not any more.

Of course the most local food I can buy is BOKU. And I can't tolerate it.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

Now I seem to handle well cooked beans. I'm fairly OK. I think there is something about making sure they are very well done.....(ie..canned beans sometimes seem to need to cook more)

That's interesting !!!

My IBS-M has totally eliminated beans as a dietary staple, which is too bad, cause I love beans, always tolerated them well with no issues until .... this. And by 'this', I mean this mean-spirited little mauler of an illness. Just never gets tired of taking things away ....

I may try your suggestion, and just cook the crap out of them (poor choice of words .... apologies) then cook them some more in some sort of oil .... thank you for that hint !!!

I cannot tolerate any of the protein powders with Pea or Legume.

I had problems with them, too. That was when I had no idea what I was reacting to in whey powder, and was desperately trying to find a substitute, not knowing that peas, even before hydrolizing, had one of the highest glutamic acid contents around.

I cant really recommend them, but that was just my reaction, Yours could be very different ....

Of course the most local food I can buy is BOKU. And I can't tolerate it.

What's BOKU? Am baffled .... not an unusual condition, but if you could take me out of it, would deeply appreciate ....

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@Marylib

Whey is quite dense lactose but also some other things, the purest form is Whey Isolate and usually the least likely to cause GI distress

The reason that it may be more tolerable is because an 'isolate', as opposed to 'whey protein', is processed and then filtered to be about 90% protein with most of the lactose and fats removed.

It might be worth a try ....

 

[SlamDancin]

@YippeeKi YOW !! So would you prefer something like Casein over Whey? Bonus; Casein is supposed to contain benzo agonist peptides that cause anxiolysis and sedation

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@YippeeKi YOW !! So would you prefer something like Casein over Whey? Bonus; Casein is supposed to contain benzo agonist peptides that cause anxiolysis and sedation

The hype around casein is sort of a barrel of snakes. About its only obvious advantage sees to be that it's digested very slowly. Muscle builders prefer it for this reason.

As for its anxiolytic and sedation properties, who knows. When your body digests casein, it's broken down into casomorphins, which can allegedly cross the BBB, causing your brain to release more dopamine. I'm sure there's a raft of 'research', probably funded by makers and sellers of casein products, proving anything that makes it more saleable, but then, I'm a little jaundiced about products that make what appear to be exaggerated claims ....

So I'd probably stick to a quality isolate.

 

[Ryanwilliam]

What are the other ingredients? If its simply pure whey powder and youre still having issues, keep in mind that the manufacturing process denatures the proteins. A portion of glutamate becomes unbound free glutamate which will have the same effect as MSG (monosodium glutamate) etc.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

the manufacturing process denatures the proteins. A portion of glutamate becomes unbound free glutamate which will have the same effect as MSG (monosodium glutamate) etc.

Any concentrated protein powder, whether whey or pea or soy, is produced by hydrolizing it either thru heat or acids or intense pressure, which severs the bonds between the amino acids, leaving a lot of 'free' everything, including glutamate, prbably the most troublesome.

Any you're right .... free glutamate can convert to MSG, which is monosodium glutamate ... a molecule of salt bound to a molecule of glutamate. For some of us, this just an incredibly bad idea, but as I alluded to in a post above, by going on a highly restricted diet which eliminates all forms of free glutamic acid, free glutamate, or MSG, you can slowly stabilize and gradually return to a more normal diet.

Eliminating all free glutamate from your diet is no easy task. It's in everything. Not just processed foods, in which it's a given, added to improve umami/flavor (goodby pizza and Popeye's chicken and biscuits and other little guilty delights), but 'natural' and 'healthy' foods like fresh peas (very high), tomatoes (also very high), mushrooms (really really high), rice and rice cakes, all of those wonderful tasty aged cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano, Parmesan and any cheese that makes everything you cook taste really good. The carrageenan that thickens your yogurt is a form of Irish seaweed, also high in glutamate.

I could go on and on, but I don't want to depress you too much. Just know that if you opt for a glutamate or MSG-free diet, you're going to be living on a lot of lettuce, mozzarella, and water. It's a real drag, and I speak from sad, tasteless, experience.

It took a while, but I eventually was able to slowly add back small amounts of 'real' foods and little by little, retuned to a normalish diet, but am still very careful of some stuff. You know, just to be sure .....

 

[godlovesatrier]

No idea if anyone's said this already.

I can't tolerate whey protein.

I do tolerate whey protein isolate though, you could try that? I get it quite cheap online.

All the best,

 

[GreenMachineX]

That's interesting !!!

My IBS-M has totally eliminated beans as a dietary staple, which is too bad, cause I love beans, always tolerated them well with no issues until .... this. And by 'this', I mean this mean-spirited little mauler of an illness. Just never gets tired of taking things away ....

I may try your suggestion, and just cook the crap out of them (poor choice of words .... apologies) then cook them some more in some sort of oil .... thank you for that hint !!!

I had problems with them, too. That was when I had no idea what I was reacting to in whey powder, and was desperately trying to find a substitute, not knowing that peas, even before hydrolizing, had one of the highest glutamic acid contents around.

I cant really recommend them, but that was just my reaction, Yours could be very different ....

What's BOKU? Am baffled .... not an unusual condition, but if you could take me out of it, would deeply appreciate ....

What happens when you have pea protein?

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

What happens when you have pea protein?

Haven't resorted to it in about 3 or 4 years. It devastatingly increased the stress on my CNS and unbearable severe panic/anxiety attacks. It was after 2nd dose of pea protein that I wound up in the ER for the second time, and I swear, that's the last time .... horrible experience, and they blew out my last good vein, then pretended, as the blood geysered ceiling-wards, that nothing's happening here, move along ....

 

[GreenMachineX]

Haven't resorted to it in about 3 or 4 years. It devastatingly increased the stress on my CNS and unbearable severe panic/anxiety attacks. It was after 2nd dose of pea protein that I wound up in the ER for the second time, and I swear, that's the last time .... horrible experience, and they blew out my last good vein, then pretended, as the blood geysered ceiling-wards, that nothing's happening here, move along ....

I wonder if that's what happening to me, or something similar but less intense...

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

I wonder if that's what happening to me, or something similar but less intense...

Im not sure what your symptoms are, or what exactly you're dealing with, but if you find an increase in anxiety and you're taking pea protein, I would definitely give that a look as the possible culprit.

Peas themselves are extremely high in glutamate, add to that the uncoupling of bonds between the aminos, and you've got a whopping amount of free glutamic acid., and a potential overload of glutamate vs GABA ....

PS ... Vague as this is, I hope it helps. I know how God-flucking awful extended anxiety attacks are and how they can absolutely shred your life ....

EDIT.... for PS

 

[SlamDancin]

@YippeeKi YOW !! looks like isolates are the main commercial whey protein products on Amazon is that what you recommend? Thanks.

 

[YippeeKi YOW !!]

@YippeeKi YOW !! looks like isolates are the main commercial whey protein products on Amazon is that what you recommend? Thanks.

I can't really recommend for or against them. I've never used isolates, having given up on whey protein entirely once I isolated it as one of the core contributors to what I was dealing with, but I investigated them closely as an alternative before I gave up.

They look like a pretty decent choice, depending on what you're dealing with or what you're taking them for, yes?

PS .... For what it's worth, I started adding back small amounts of Tara's Whey, Grass Fed Whey Protein, largely because I had quite a bit left over from before, and so far, so good ...