Protein Supplements: Why I Think Vegan Protein Supplements Are the Best (Part 1 of 2)

It’s no secret that I had been advocating recently how Vegan Protein supplements are the best protein supplements for muscle builders, but perhaps it is still not clear why I have taken that stance so i’d like to address that here.

There has been some updated research on protein supplements highlighting possible health issues over certain proteins such as food allergies, intolerances, aminoacidemia, etc. If you’re taking Whey, Dairy or Soy protein supplements, you may be unknowingly intolerant or mildly allergic to them. Below is a concise account of the potential health concerns with these supplements.

Food Allergies VS Food Intolerances: The Difference?

Two of the most common disadvantages of ordinary Protein supplements is that it causes allergies and intolerances. But let me differentiate food allergies from food intolerances first.

A food allergy, or hypersensitivity, is an abnormal response to a food signaled by the immune system. Common indicators usually appear within minutes to a couple of hours after the consumption of the food in question. These include:

• Tingling sensation in the mouth
• Swelling of the tongue and throat
• Difficulty breathing
• Hives
• Acne
• Vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea
• Drop in blood pressure
• Loss of consciousness, and death.

Food intolerance, however, is not triggered by the immune system, and occurs in the digestive tract, and is characterized by symptoms like gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, headaches and dark circles under the eyes.

Nevertheless, both food allergies and intolerances are characterized by the inability to break down the food in question, showing in different parts of the body.

If the protein in question breaks down enough to go through the walls of the intestine and enter the bloodstream, but allows for relatively larger proteins to enter the bloodstream and be targeted as antigens by the immune system, it is considered as a food allergy.

But if the protein is so great that it can’t pass through the walls of the intestine and the symptoms they cause manifest in the intestinal tract without involving the immune system, they are known as an intolerance.

Statistics state that only about 1.5 percent of adults and up to 6 percent of children below 3 years in the United States have a “true” food allergy. Once can make a case that almost 100% of people have a low level allergic reaction to foods such as wheat, corn, and dairy. By low level, I mean almost inestimable systemic inflammation in the body and chronic mucous production — either seen in the stools, or experienced as constant throat clearing, sniffling, and high susceptibility to allergy triggers such as dust and pollen.

So if you are experiencing these symptoms while taking your protein supplements, it is highly likely that you are actually allergic or intolerant to your protein supplement – without being aware of it!

Dairy Protein Digestion Problems

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), approximately 30 to 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant. These people cannot digest lactose, the sugar found in dairy products, and often suffer from symptoms such as gas, stomach cramps, diarrhea, and the like, according FDA.

There are also other people who are allergic to dairy products, specifically the proteins found in milk and whey. Either way, poorly digested bovine antigens (substances in dairy proteins that trigger an immune reaction) like casein become “allergens” in allergic individuals. Dairy products are the leading cause of food allergy, often revealed by diarrhea, constipation and fatigue.

So if you are taking dairy protein supplements and had been suffering from these symptoms (even mildly), you might want to try stopping the supplements and observe how you feel afterwards.

There are numerous reports of asthma and sinus infections that have been eliminated by totally excluding dairy from the diet.

Health Problems with Whey & Dairy Allergies and intolerances

Protein digestion starts in the stomach with the process known as autolytic digestion, in which enzymes present in the food itself will actually break down some 70% of the protein in the first hour if the food you eat is not cooked or processed.

After the first hour, the process continues with the entry of pepsinogen and hydrochloric acid, wherein the hydrochloric acid converts the pepsinogen into pepsin.

Pepsin then breaks down the protein even further into amino acids and their derivatives. This particular process is theoretically completed by the trypsin and chymotrypsin enzymes produced in the pancreas and released into the small intestine.

Protein digestion then continues from here, with the amino acids and related molecules derived from the dietary protein being absorbed through the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, in which the absorption rate of the individual amino acids is highly dependent on the protein source.

For instance, after whey protein is broken down, some 90% of it is absorbed quickly, whereas soy protein is absorbed much more slowly and much less completely. But combining rice and pea protein into a diet, on the other hand splits the difference — balancing soy’s longer absorption time frame with whey’s shorter absorption time frame.

This process, however, does not apply to all. Certain factors, such as how the food is cooked, whether or not the protein is denatured by processing and heat, the existence or non-existence of natural or supplemented enzymes, and the presence of other substances such as pectin can all affect the ultimate break down of the proteins. These aspects will also tell whether or not they cause allergies or are responsible for intolerances.

The top culprits on dietary proteins and protein allergies are:

• Dairy and whey
• Eggs
• Soy
• Shell fish
• And wheat gluten meat substitutes for vegetarians

But concerns about protein consumption can also cause other conditions other than allergies and intolerances. These are Aminoacidemia and Intestinal toxemia, which is what I want to talk about next. So watch out for the next instalment of this article.

Meanwhile, if you just want to get your hands on the best Protein Supplement that I recommend (and personally use) check out Sun Warrior Protein page here:

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