whey and allergies/intolerances _ HELP

[fathead]

long story short. whey (of all kinds) has always left me with a bad taste in the back of my throat, kind of phlegmy, nasty breath etc.

i recently had standard allergy testing (scratch test) and showed no issues. i then went to a naturopathic doctor who did an IgG test (this is a allergy test using a small blood sample to detect antibodies in the blood to a list of about 100 foods)

results are not surprising (besides a severe intolerance to egg white and egg yolk which is really going to change my diet) I show a very strong reaction to cows milk and cottage cheese.

so my question is this:
some whey isolates claim to be dairy free or lactose free (or 99.9% free), however is whey protein isolate still a milk protein? if im having a reaction to milk protein then its not the lactose issue, and im not really sure what "dairy free" means.

can someone who is knowledgeable explain in layman's terms what exactly whey isolate is? perhaps one of the board sponsors from the supplement manufacturers?


not having whey or eggs in my diet is going to make life a lot more difficult

any one with similar issues have any diet suggestions or tips or protein supplements that work for you?

this Dr. reccomended i try something like a rice protein but im skeptical of such products

thanks

[Forever]

Theres also soy, pea, and beef protein to name a few.
As far as I know the "dairy free" whey isolates are labeled as such because they are highly processed/filtered to remove all traces of lactose. Many people are intolerant of lactose and find they feel bloated after consuming it, so this has become a big selling point in the whey protein market. Are you sure its the actual protein strings your allergic to? If not I would think the proteins in a high quality isolate (something like allmax isoflex) would be processed enough to remove all other traces of the dairy products most people are allergic to.

If you can tell just by the taste in the back of your throat I would find a supplement shop (or a buddy) that will give you a free sample of isoflex and see how that treats you. If you have a Popeyes near by they are usually willing to give you a sample of anything you want. The only reason I keep saying isoflex is because it is the purest whey protein isolate I can think of, 97% protein by weight IIRC.

[fathead]

the problem is im not certain if im reacting to lactose or milk protein... isoflex leaves me with the same taste/feeling as all the rest do

[JifeLacket]

Eat meat bro!

[Forever]

the problem is im not certain if im reacting to lactose or milk protein... isoflex leaves me with the same taste/feeling as all the rest do

well its about as pure as they come so it looks like that idea is out. Have you ever tried non milk derived protein powder?

[macka]

Eggs are the next thing to try, you just have to make sure its lactose free as some egg protein is exposed to dairy products in the packing phase. The next best is hemp protein. Avoid soy as it has phyto estrogens which interfere with the hormones, ie at the receptor level they displace testosterone.

[fathead]

the results revealed eggs to be the worst culprit so those are out for sure.

what about brown rice protein? any thoughts? its surprisingly expensive!

[macka]

the results revealed eggs to be the worst culprit so those are out for sure.

what about brown rice protein? any thoughts? its surprisingly expensive!

I know hemp is a solid vegie protein. I don't know shit about the rice protein. What I do understand about vegie proteins is that they aren't complete for our body per say. You will need to blend a couple of them together to get the same benefit as regular whey.
On a side note one of our sponsors sells beef protein, thats always a thought for you.

[nisser]

If he was doing IgG tests he was testing antibodies to PROTEIN, not lactose. You can be lactose-intolerant (due to lactase insufficiency) or you just may not tolerate PROTEINS in cow milk. Lactose-free wouldn't really solve your problem. I think most whey is made from cow milk so your best bet is to find whey made out of something else (ex. beef, rice, etc).

[fathead]

If he was doing IgG tests he was testing antibodies to PROTEIN, not lactose. You can be lactose-intolerant (due to lactase insufficiency) or you just may not tolerate PROTEINS in cow milk. Lactose-free wouldn't really solve your problem. I think most whey is made from cow milk so your best bet is to find whey made out of something else (ex. beef, rice, etc).

nisser it sounds like you know what youre talking about.

can you explain in a little more detail what exactly the IgG test is testing for in layman's terms. The test also covers things like veg, fruit etc, is it testing for antibodies to proteins in these as well?

where im a bit lost is the fact that i tested very high for eggs, cottage cheese and cows milk, but yogurt/butter/cheeses were fine. my understanding is that many people who are lactose intolerant can eat these foods as well because they are very low in lactose... and im hoping that the ultra filtered whey isolate type products that claim to be dairy/lactose free would be a similar situation for me?

an explanation of the IgG test would be great as well as a reason why yogurt/cheese would be fine but not milk. is the protein in these foods different than regular milk protein?

thx

[ubcpower]

ask jonnyo about TP's liquid beef A's

[warlock]

I did the same test.

Am drinking rice or hemp beverage and doing fine.

Goat cheese all the time at my fridge.

As far as protein. whey is derivated off milk therefore you should stay away from it.

I am taking living fuel (http://www.livingfuel.com/LivingFuel_Products.aspx) more for health than performance.

My suggestion is that you have 2 or 3 types of vegetable proteins and combine/rotate them.

Good luck

[nisser]

nisser it sounds like you know what youre talking about.

can you explain in a little more detail what exactly the IgG test is testing for in layman's terms. The test also covers things like veg, fruit etc, is it testing for antibodies to proteins in these as well?

where im a bit lost is the fact that i tested very high for eggs, cottage cheese and cows milk, but yogurt/butter/cheeses were fine. my understanding is that many people who are lactose intolerant can eat these foods as well because they are very low in lactose... and im hoping that the ultra filtered whey isolate type products that claim to be dairy/lactose free would be a similar situation for me?

an explanation of the IgG test would be great as well as a reason why yogurt/cheese would be fine but not milk. is the protein in these foods different than regular milk protein?

thx

Well I don't know specifics but I'm presuming he's mostly testing for proteins. Perhaps there's a consensus on proteins in fruit and stuff that would ellicit an immune response or certain chemicals too. What did the doc do? Did he prick you with things or did he test your blood? If he just tested your allergy by pricking that's pretty obvious but if he tested your blood perhaps he was looking if you developed antibodies to certain things.

As to your whey vs milk vs yoghurt/butter question. Whey is concentrated protein. If you are allergic to the protein from milk, then taking a serving of concentrated protein is gonna screw you up. Milk also tends to be high in protein but yoghurt/butter...practically nothing. If you look at for example activia yoghurt its got like 4g of protein per serving. Look in the ingredient section and you'll see they actually add some sort of whey into it (maybe soy?).

[Andre Gregoire]

My son is deadly allergic to eggs and dairy products so I know enough about food allergies. My son is scheduled to do the IgE test soon but the IgG test is similar, basically it's looking at the bodies immune system reaction to food.

IgE indicates dramatic, potentially lethal reactions and IgG indicates hypersensitivity to an allergen but not as dramatic.

Lactose intolerance is not a food allergy, it's a deficiency of lactase, the enzyme responsible for the digestion of lactose and it won't affect the immune system or cause and histamine reaction.

A real food allergy is triggered by the protein in that food, yes even in fruits.

My son is allergic to eggs, here is a break down (stolen from wikipedia) of the various protein fractions in an egg white:

* 54% Ovalbumin - Nourishment; blocks digestive enzymes[citation needed]
* 12% Ovotransferrin - Binds iron[citation needed]
* 11% Ovomucoid - Blocks digestive enzymes[citation needed]
* 4% Ovoglobulin G2
* 4% Ovoglobulin G3
* 3.5% Ovomucin
* 3.4% Lysozyme
* 1.5% Ovoinhibitor
* 1% Ovoglycoprotein
* 0.8% Flavoprotein
* 0.5% Ovomacroglobulin
* 0.5% Avidin
* 0.05% Cystatin

This might give you an idea why you react badly to whey but not cheese for example, different protein fractions.

With my son depending on the test results the doc might suggest that we try to give him cooked egg yolks in a cake for example.

I have a feeling most of us would have many food sensitivities if we did and IgG. What do I think this means?

I am not sure but I doubt I would eliminate all foods that I am sensitive too. The ones that I am very sensitive too I would probably decrease or avoid completely for example 2-3 weeks out from a show but I probably wouldn't eliminate them completely from my diet.

The latest food allergy research is doing just the opposite, introducing food allergens to allergic people in extremely small dosages and then increasing the dose gradually over time as the body adjusts. Some people allergic to milk have been able to work their way up to 1 cup a milk in 1 sitting with no problems.

We might have all these food sensitivities because we eat too much of the same foods and have poor gut health so our common foods make it into the bloodstream through gut leakage causing immune reactions.

Might be a better idea to just use digestive enzymes and pro-biotics instead. Just my 2 cents.

[fathead]

My son is deadly allergic to eggs and dairy products so I know enough about food allergies. My son is scheduled to do the IgE test soon but the IgG test is similar, basically it's looking at the bodies immune system reaction to food.

IgE indicates dramatic, potentially lethal reactions and IgG indicates hypersensitivity to an allergen but not as dramatic.

Lactose intolerance is not a food allergy, it's a deficiency of lactase, the enzyme responsible for the digestion of lactose and it won't affect the immune system or cause and histamine reaction.

A real food allergy is triggered by the protein in that food, yes even in fruits.

My son is allergic to eggs, here is a break down (stolen from wikipedia) of the various protein fractions in an egg white:

* 54% Ovalbumin - Nourishment; blocks digestive enzymes[citation needed]
* 12% Ovotransferrin - Binds iron[citation needed]
* 11% Ovomucoid - Blocks digestive enzymes[citation needed]
* 4% Ovoglobulin G2
* 4% Ovoglobulin G3
* 3.5% Ovomucin
* 3.4% Lysozyme
* 1.5% Ovoinhibitor
* 1% Ovoglycoprotein
* 0.8% Flavoprotein
* 0.5% Ovomacroglobulin
* 0.5% Avidin
* 0.05% Cystatin

This might give you an idea why you react badly to whey but not cheese for example, different protein fractions.

With my son depending on the test results the doc might suggest that we try to give him cooked egg yolks in a cake for example.

I have a feeling most of us would have many food sensitivities if we did and IgG. What do I think this means?

I am not sure but I doubt I would eliminate all foods that I am sensitive too. The ones that I am very sensitive too I would probably decrease or avoid completely for example 2-3 weeks out from a show but I probably wouldn't eliminate them completely from my diet.

The latest food allergy research is doing just the opposite, introducing food allergens to allergic people in extremely small dosages and then increasing the dose gradually over time as the body adjusts. Some people allergic to milk have been able to work their way up to 1 cup a milk in 1 sitting with no problems.

We might have all these food sensitivities because we eat too much of the same foods and have poor gut health so our common foods make it into the bloodstream through gut leakage causing immune reactions.

Might be a better idea to just use digestive enzymes and pro-biotics instead. Just my 2 cents.


great post, makes a lot of sense.

the naturopath i saw (aka the shaman) said that removing these from my diet may very well allow me to reintroduce them again later.

i have chronically low energy levels, poor skin tone, dark circles under my eyes and some skin irritation issues. all of which are potentially caused by an immune system which is constantly revving in response to these foods.

part of me thinks this is an intolerance which i have acquired because of eating too much of these foods for too long, but at the same time i eat chicken all day and have no reaction to it.

my scores on this test are nothing to ignore, a score of 90 or above is "highly reactive" and my scores in milk/eggs are in the 300's

why did you mention you wouldnt remove them or if you would it would only be close to a show?

[Andre Gregoire]

why did you mention you wouldnt remove them or if you would it would only be close to a show?

My reasoning was simply along the lines of the new food allergy research where they actually re-introduce the allergen with a very specific protocol but it's just my speculation.

The offending foods are likely to cause water retention, inflammation and that will make you feel like crap.

I think you should listen to the shaman lol...

Seriously, it makes sense let the allergen clear out, let your body heal up and then when it's better re-introduce the foods gradually or don't even re-introduce them at all.

I firmly believe all we should be eating anyway is lean meats, good fats, a bit of berries and a ton of green veggies all of which are probably ok for most of the population.

I think that gut health might be key and the naturopath might recommend something for that.

Interesting topic, keep us posted on what happens.

Oh yeah, if you want a protein powder check out Gemma Pea Protein Isolate:
http://www.trueprotein.com/product_details.aspx?cid=22&pid=6816

It's a good protein source with lots of Leucine and pretty cheap, the taste isn't the best so most people pay a bit extra for premium flavoring.