Is Your Protein Powder Bad for Your Health?

I have been on an ongoing quest to make smart choices that optimize the quality of my health and the health of those around me for the past 25 years.  As a result, I’m continually researching the latest information to meet this objective.  Over the years research has been unclear on the topic of protein.  I’m often asked by athletes and friends; what is the best kind of protein, how much should I take a day, is animal protein better than soy protein, is Whey protein the best, what’s the difference between Whey Isolate and Whey Concentrate? 

As with all research related to the human body, if you rely on a narrow scope of data points you may find that eating something that can have a positive effect in one area, may have a negative effect somewhere else.  You may find that the quantity will have either a positive or negative effect or the timing of when you eat a particular food, may impact your athletic performance.  I recently experienced an issue that was the result of not doing my full due diligence and I want to share with you my observations and conclusion so you can avoid making the same mistake, which could have serious health consequences over a long period of time.

A little Background

It may seem like common sense that if you don't use your muscles, they'll eventually atrophy, yet so many people fail to apply this information in their daily lives.  The older you get, the faster your muscles will atrophy if you're not regularly engaging in the appropriate exercise. Additionally, older muscles do not respond well to sudden or intense bouts of exercise, so the key to avoiding sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) is to challenge your muscles with intense exercise on a regular basis throughout your life—and it's never too late to start. As the super star actor Will Smith says, “Don’t get ready; Be ready”.

 
GROWING OLD IS NOT FOR SISSIES

Protein is essential for healthy muscle growth and maintenance, but as you age, your body becomes increasingly less able to utilize the protein in your food for building muscle, which makes the following information all the more important. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a group of researchers set out to find which protein was the best for muscle protein accretion, and would therefore help stave off sarcopenia (Loss of muscle mass with age) that may be caused by a reduction of muscle protein synthetic response to food intake.  As an avid cyclist, a loss of muscle mass as I age will have serious consequences on my performance, and the last thing I want is to be dropping in a bike race because I no longer have the strength to keep up with all those young guys. Three groups of older men were fed a meal-like amount of whey, casein, and casein hydrolysate proteins. Their protein ingestion was combined with an intravenous tracer which was used to assess digestion and absorption, and their muscle synthesis rates were also calculated from the ingested tracer. The study concluded that:

"Whey protein stimulates postprandial muscle protein accretion more effectively than do casein and casein hydrolysate in older men. This effect is attributed to a combination of whey's faster digestion and absorption kinetics and higher leucine content."

So what did this meant to me?  Whey Protein is the best, so I rushed out to my local health food store and purchased one of those giant tubs of Whey Protein.  I got the Isolate variety, because the sales person told me so. She said, Whey Protein Isolate was the best because it is more a "higher quality Protein" and contained less fat (Hmmm? Less fat = good, or so I thought).  Note to self: always understand the reason why a sales person recommends anything before buying it).  So for the next month and a half, I added this to my morning whole fruit berry smoothie.  Life was good, or so I thought.

We’ll get back to my story in a minute…..

Is Strength Training Sufficient to Prevent Age-Related Muscle Loss?

Sarcopenia, or age-related muscle loss, begins affecting people in their mid 20’s, initially at a rate of 1% loss of muscle mass per year, with accelerated rates as age advances and the muscle mass is replaced with fat.

Causes include:

• Hormonal changes
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Free Radicals
• Oxidative Stress damage
• Inflammation
• Insulin resistance
• Acidic Diet

It's a major challenge that many go through, especially the elderly, and as I just mentioned, regular exercise is essential to counteract this muscle loss. However, it's important to realize that simply lifting weights will not result in gaining muscle mass. Additionally, if you are involved in prolonged exercises like aerobics or running, you will not have the hormonal influences to build muscle either, even if you lift weights. It's important to understand that in order to effectively build and maintain muscle you need to incorporate short bursts of high intensity interval exercises that elevates your heart rate above your Anaerobic Threshold.  This kind of exercise allows your body to produce human growth hormone (HGH) naturally. Yea, the same stuff that athletes take to cheat in their sport, however they take it in the form of a synthetic drug.  HGH is also known as "the fitness hormone," and is essential for healthy aging, fitness, and yes, muscle building.

Additionally, you need to supply your muscles with the appropriate fuel at the appropriate time to provide them with the proper building blocks to produce new muscle tissue. This is where my whey protein comes back into play. Through my research, I found you should consume the whey about 30 minutes before your workout to help increase both fat burning and muscle building and within an hour or two after you exercise.  Taking Whey before you workout will stop the catabolic process in your muscle and promote protein synthesis towards recovery and growth.  There is ONLY a two hour window after exercise that allows your body to fully use the proteins you ingest for optimizing  muscle repair and growth, so it is important to get the timing right. One of the reasons whey protein works so well is that it is a protein that assimilates very quickly, and will get to your muscles within 10-15 minutes of swallowing it, supplying your muscles with the right food at the right time. Because meat based proteins take hours to digest, they are ineffective and produce minor results.  A study published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise showed the amino acids found in high quality whey protein activate certain cellular mechanisms, including a mechanism called mTORC-1, which in turn promotes muscle protein synthesis, boost thyroid, and also protect against declining testosterone levels after exercise.

All this sounded great and I thought I was on the right track for my athletics and long term health, however during the month and a half since starting on this program of adding Whey Protein Isolate to my diet, I noticed my internal pH began to drop and become very acidic.  At the beginning I thought this was because I wasn’t eating enough fruits and vegetables.  Or there may have been a residual effect from the red wine (very acidic) from the weekend.  So I adjusted my diet and eat even more fruits and vegetables and cut out wine  with no success.  In fact, my internal pH continued to drop from its usual 7.0 to 7.4, to a very acidic 5.0 to 4.5!  An increase of 100 to 1000 times in my acidity!  This kind of acidic level is consistent with most people that eat a typical North American diet full of junk foods and soda pop.  Needless to say, I was quite concerned.  An acidic internal system has many serious health consequences, which I’ll speak to in a moment.

Beware: Most Whey Proteins Are NOT Good For You

There's no shortage of whey products on the market, but unfortunately most of them will NOT give you the health benefits associated with a high-quality whey product. First of all you want to use a whey protein concentrate. High quality whey protein concentrates also contain glutamylcysteine, the major precursor to glutathione, which is another phenomenal anti-aging nutrient.  There is probably no other area of processed foods where you need to be more careful than in selecting a high quality whey supplement. 

Most whey proteins are processed from ultra-pasteurized milk and many are exposed to acid processing. Heat and acid damages the protein and makes it insoluble in water. This is one of the key ways to differentiate high quality whey protein from inferior ones. But the whey manufacturers know this, and know that insoluble powders are not appealing for a variety of reasons, so they add chemical flavors and detergents to restore flavor and solubility. They put in genetically modified soy lecithin, and also dump chemical surfactants, which are used in soap, like polysorbate 80, propylene glycol, and ethoxylated mono-diglycerides along with maltodextrin, caseinates, and hydrolyzed proteins, which are  really disguised MSG. They also use artificial sweeteners, like aspartame and sucralose, which are hazardous to optimal health.

Whey Protein Isolates is a Dangerous Form of Protein

If you’ve followed my blog long enough, you know I’m a huge believer of natural (organic whenever possible) whole foods that are exposed to as little processing as possible.  As discussed above, all whey protein isolates are highly processed and devoid of nutritional co-factors including alkalizing minerals, naturally occurring vitamins, and lipids, which are lost in the processing.  This renders them deficient and overly acidifying, hence my increased internal acidity to a dangerous level. Unlike whole protein whey concentrates which does not acidify your body due to its alkalizing minerals, whey protein isolates are over acidifying, thereby making them a liability to your health. If chronically consumed (such as with bodybuilders, athletes like myself, or the average person wanting to maintain muscle mass), it can acidify your body and over time lead to metabolic acidosis with consequences that include wasting of muscle and bone tissues, total metabolic shut down, and increased vulnerability to degenerative disease.

Additionally once the fat has been removed from whey protein isolate, you lose some of the most important components of its properties, such as phospholipids, phosphatidylserine and CLA. All of the IgG immunoglobulins, which are an excellent source of glutamine and glutamylcysteine, are also bound to the fat globule, and therefore lost in the processing of whey isolates.  So the bottom line is that if you want to use whey protein, PLEASE do not use an inferior whey isolate as there is no doubt in my mind it will cause more damage to you than benefit.

And I haven’t even touched on the negative affects Soy Protein.  I will save this for another day and dedicate an entire bog post to the topic of Soy, because it deserves much more than a brief explanation.  But for now, believe me when I say don’t touch any Soy based protein powders.

Guidelines for High-Quality Whey Concentrate

To ensure you're getting a high-quality Whey product, make sure the whey you're buying fulfills the following requirements:

• 100% certified organic Whey Protein Concentrate
• Non-GMO ingredients
• From cows that are grass fed & pasture raised without the use of pesticides or fertilizers
• No added hormones (rBGH), steroids or antibiotics
• Certified organic flavoring
• No artificial sweeteners, if sweetened only use certified organic stevia leaf extract, or equivalent

So how have I adjusted and what is the result?

After much research and over a couple of months of self testing, I’d like to share with you my pre and post exercise regime.  I found an excellent product made by Progressive Organics that meets all the key criteria mentioned above in this post and I prepare the following smoothie….and I must admit, it’s as delicious and it is good for you!

 
You will need a blender.  I invested in a VitaMix blender years ago, because I have smoothies all the time.  There more expensive than most, but well worth it.

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop (30g) Progressive Organics 100% Organic Whey Protein Concentrate (Organic Cocoa flavor)
• 4 ice cubes
• 4 strawberries
• 1 peeled orange
• 2 oz YouthJuice

Blend for a minute or two on high and you’ll have a nutritious and delicious drink that will maintain your muscle mass, while ensuring a healthy internal pH.

Enjoy the Ride …. Rob

 

Comments

[Raju]

How can I buy this whey protein online? The link doesn't work and the progressive website doesn't have an option to purchase online.

[Janine]

Hi,
I ahve been using the Vega Sport Performance Protein. Its a complete Plant-based Protein. Have you tried this? Any tips on whether or not this good?
thanks,
Janine

[Dan]

Hi Rob. Not sure if you still tend to this blog - or this post, especially - But I would like to know which isolates you had used before switching to a concentrate.

If the purification method is cold filtration only, then the soluble micronutrients present should remain in the whey isolate - the problem may come with heat in spray drying and pasteurization (which will be a problem in concentrates also) or with the removal of something critical in the hydrophobic portion of the filtrate. That's both an advantage and a disadvantage for the concentrate, which retains that hydrophobic portion - Good because it may retain those nutrients, bad for reasons I'll get to in a second.

On IgG - it is, in fact, a water-soluble protein like any other serum/secreted antibody, so it too should remain in a properly processed whey isolate. I've read from around the web that Joseph Mercola is the one propagating the claim that IgG is "bound" to fat globules, but beyond making little sense from an immmunology standpoint, I have seen no evidence in support of this claim - and I do have reason to believe that he's using it to sell his products, one of which is a whey concentrate.

Normally, I would be all for buying concentrates - They're cheaper, more "whole," and can generally be bought organic - but one thing is holding me back, and that is oxidized cholesterol. See, any time you pasteurize a cholesterol-containing food, spray dry it, and sit it around, especially in a powdered form, you're asking for that cholesterol to oxidize.

Incidentally, this is why your mention that processing affects solubility would be true for both a concentrate and an isolate; both are pasteurized and both are subjected to high heat (500 degrees Fahrenheit - yes, you read that right, 500) during the spray drying which, if you're lucky, might be offset by an evaporative cooling effect.

So... It's important to know how the isolate you used was made. Microfiltered whey isolates are the only viable choice here. Ion-exchange isolates - those made by literally running the whey on a chromatography column - will most certainly denature and leave out important portions of protein and micronutrients.

All this being said, perhaps dropping the protein supplements altogether would be in the best interest of health, even if it means working harder to build muscle!

Finally, I also thought it worth mentioning that any protein containing methionine will stimulate mTOR, as it is a master protein synthesis regulation gene. This is not especially good for you in some cells, as it turns out - Higher protein synthesis means more protein hormones and therefore more cell growth and division, which accelerates aging. This is the basis for calorie restriction diets and the effectiveness of rapamycin (hence the name, "Mammalian Target of Rapamycin - mToR).

[Alice]

Thank you for this. After researching protein powders for lactose intolerance, I had arrived at the conclusion that whey isolate was the best way to go since it is lactose-free. I stumbled onto your post through a google search for organic whey isolate. I am so glad I did. I also try to eat clean and was grateful for both your analysis and recommendation. The powder you suggested says it is lactose reduced so I think it will work for me as my lactose intolerance is not as extreme as some people's.

[Priscilla]

Hey rob,

I'm a 20 year old female who recently got into weight lifting where I incorporate many compound exercise. I have been drinking whey protein from nutrilite taking CLA from nutrilite omega 3 and fish oil. What's your opinion?

[Sarah]

Hey Rob, I was just in the Youth Juice website and noticed that they have a protein powder called Reshape.I was going to buy the protein powder you were recommending but is this one just as good? I am wondering because it would be easier to buy both products from one spot;) Thanks for the info, very educational!

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi JK,

Thanks for your question. I generally don’t comment on commercially available products I don’t personally use, as I have no way of knowing how thess products affects me, for example, many Whey Proteins have a very negative affect on a person’s pH. Here’s a link to a post I wrote a couple years ago about understanding the importance of your body’s pH:
http://www.nofinishlineblog.com/2010/07/do-you-know-your-bodys-ph-why-is-it-important.html

Rob

[JK]

is Holand & Barrat whey proteins good?

it contains the following ingredients:

Creatine Monohydrate, Capsule Shell (Gelatine), Anti-Caking Agents (Magnesium Stearate, Silicon Dioxide).

Contains (or contains an ingredient/s derived from) sulphites.

It has the following label:

Guaranteed Free Of:

No Artificial Colours, Flavours, Sweeteners, Preservatives, Starch, Milk, Lactose, Soya, Gluten, Wheat, Yeast, Fish or Porcine.

could you please advise.

thanks

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Mo: this is a good question and I answered it once before in the comments thread, but it's worth repeating. Here's my previous answer:

As with all allergic reactions, there are varying degrees, some people are mildly sensitive, while other's reactions are extreme. Progressive Organic Whey Protein is “lactose reduced and gluten free”, so it should be fine for the majority of users, however, if your reaction to dairy is extreme, I would suggest alternate sources of protein.

[Mo]

I am lactose intolerant and have had trouble finding a protein that doesn't make me very bloated and uncomfortable. I have heard that the whey concentrates contain more lactose and are not lactose free. Is this true? Are there any whey concentrates that are lactose free?

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Rajbir - The whey protein I personally use and featured in the blog post made by Progressive.

http://nofinishline.vitahub.com/Progressive-100-Organic-Whey-Protein.html

[[email protected]]

Can someone tell me whats the exactly product name (whey protein) ? So that i will able to buy from whole foods.

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Richard - that's a great question. Measuring pH is very easy. You simply "pee" on a pH strip that you can get from pHion. Here is their online web site: http://www.phionbalance.com/ph-balancing-products/ph-test-strips

[Richard Leigh]

Thanks for the info on protein shakes - there's so many traps out there to avoid! I've been using a product which contains a mix of concentrates, isolates and hydrolised whey (they don't tell you the proportions), bought from my local health store. It doesn't seem to have any surfactants added, though it has soy lecithin and acacia gum added as emulsifiers, and a range of B vitamins too. From what you say I guess I should dump it!
My question is this: how do you measure your internal acidity, and what is a healthy level?

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Sebas,
Thanks for your comment and good luck with your training program.

I will answer your question from the perspective of what’s best for your health, as many will provide differing opinions depending on what kind of physical activities they participate in.

A good rule of thumb regarding protein intake is to consume one (1) gram of protein for every kilo of body weight and add about 10% to 20% more if you’re very active. For example, I’m a competitive cyclist and weigh 71 kg (157lbs) and consume about 75 grams of protein a day (from all sources). This is plenty for my needs.

Every morning, I make a protein/energy shake with the following ingredients:

• 30gms of Whey Protein
• 1 banana
• 4 table spoons of plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 orange (1/4 of orange peel)
• 1 cup of mixed field berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
• 1 cup of strawberries
• 2 oz of YouthJuice

This is a very healthy way to kick your morning into gear and provides great energy.

I also have a protein shake 30 to 45 minutes after every workout, which is just about every day. The recipe is described in this blog post above, but since I wrote this post, I’ve added a banana and another orange to the ingredients.

As for taking protein prior to exercise, this is where I probably differ from some. I figure I get enough protein between my morning shake, post workout and other meal sources. Excess protein is metabolized by the body into acid forming toxins. Read my post on pH: (http://www.nofinishlineblog.com/2010/07/do-you-know-your-bodys-ph-why-is-it-important.html) to better understand why this is not good for your long term health.

Hope this answers your questions. Let me know how you make out. Good luck with your training!

Enjoy the Ride....Rob

[Sebas Fontaine]

Hey Rob,

Very interesting article. I went on to buy 3 jars of that Progressive Protein and it looks great. I wanted to know though, how much do I take before and after the exercise? How long before and how long after?

I heard an hour prior and 15 to 30 minutes after, but nobody mentions gram amounts. I guess it depends on each person but do you have an approximation or a way for me to find out? I usually only take a single 30g scoop of Whey after training, but it wasn't the good whey.

Now that I have good whey, should I keep taking a 30g scoop after but also, let's say, 15-20g an hour prior to training? How do I do this?

Thanks!

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Carrie - as with all allergic reactions, there are varying degrees, some people are mildly sensitive, while other's reactions are extreme. Progressive Organic Whey Protein is “lactose reduced and gluten free”, so it should be fine for the majority of users, however, if your reaction to dairy is extreme, I would suggest alternate sources of protein.

[Carrie]

Is Progressive Organics Organic Whey Protein okay to use for people who are lactose intolerant?

[Tom]

Is this good for a 17 year old as well?

[natural whey protein powder]

I take natural whey protein powder supplement which made with 100% natural ingredient.

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Helen661 - I only recommend supplement products that I actually use myself. And the list is pretty short as only use two. Much to the disappointment of many companies that market supplements, I believe that people can receive most nutritional needs from a good diet. That said, athletes certainly require additional protein, so I reccommend taking Progressive Organic's 100% Organic Whey Protein Concentrate, as suggested in this post. You can order it at: http://nofinishline.vitahub.com/Progressive-100-Organic-Whey-Protein-340g-or-680g.html

[Somanabolic muscle maximizer review]

please give me an information about whaere can i buy protein powder an creatin poxder in kochi ( kerala)

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Dianna - Thanks so much for your comment and question.

Regarding "Shakeology", I generally don't comment on products that I don't have direct personal experience with, so I will keep comments as general observations of the product as advertized through their web-based marketing. And since it's marketed through "Network Marketing" it's pretty slick, and the people providing testimony are obviously in a conflict of interest:

1) I’m a big fan of real whole food (preferably organic), and as nature produced it, that’s not altered or processed by man. Every time foods are altered through a manufactured process, they lose some or in many cases a significant amount of their nutritional value because they lose their synergy with the whole food. For example, Raspberry seeds contain high amounts of Elagic Acid which is a powerful Antioxidant. It is metabolized best when consumed with the pulp of the berry. Nature has been perfecting the foods we eat for millions of years, while man has only been at this for a few decades. I’ll stick with nature every time and eat the whole food as it was meant to be.

2) Organic Whey Protein Concentrate is the highest quality protein a person can digest and you should have 1gm for every Kg of body weight. If Shakeology is your soul source of protein, you would require around 5 shakes a day at a cost of $20/day, just to meet your protein RDA. By the way, this is a plant based protein, which is not as bio-available as animal protein and does not contain all the essential amino acids found in Whey.

3) Excessive sugar is one of the worst things a human can ingest, check my post on this topic at: (http://www.nofinishlineblog.com/2011/04/sugar-a-bittersweet-story.html). One serving of Shakeology has 15grams of sugar, or almost 4 teaspoons!. That’s approximately ½ of what a human should take for an entire day! And assuming you require more than one shake to meet your minimal protein RDA; you will far exceed your sugar quota for the day in just two servings.

4) I rarely eat anything that has more than 5 ingredients in it. Shakeology claims to have over 70! Ask this simple question. Would your grand mother or great grand mother recognize this as a food?

5) I never consume anything that is a replacement for a meal. This doesn’t make any sense; why wouldn't I just eat a healthy meal instead of this highly processed meal replacement?

6) Finally, and a good rule of thumb. When something sounds too good to be true. It generally isn’t, but I think you already knew this about this product.

Dianna – my advice is to stick to the healthy basics and eat a diet of fruits and vegetables, along with lean protein, reduce your sugar and starchy foods and drink approximately 2-3 liters of water a day. Add some daily exercise and good rest at night and you should enjoy a healthy life.

Enjoy the ride….Rob

[Dianna Clingerman]

hi there. so what do you know about the poduct 'shakeology' ? I am so glad I found your information. I have been using a protein shake with a lot of the things within that I am sadly disappointed!! I plan to order a more healthy protein shake but I also wanted to ask about the shakeology.. as it does not clearly explain in the ingredients what kind of whey protein it is. . Thanks, Dianna

[Robert Armstrong]

Hi Cody – thanks for your question. As long as you’re taking Organic Whey Protein Concentrate and not Whey Isolate Protein, you should be ok. That said, to ensure you don’t take too much protein over a 24 hour period; I want you to monitor how much protein you take from all sources (meat, eggs, etc). My suggestion is to only take 1 gram per kilogram of body weight for optimal health. (1 gm = 2.2lbs). At your age I would also focus on building lean muscle and not just bulking up for vanity reasons. Consider the consequences of your lifestyle choices today on your future health (as in 30 years from now). Good luck with your training and Enjoy the Ride....Rob