Dangers of Protein shakes and sucralose.
 

Seems to be these days in pursuit of fitness and improving body( not necessarily body building) muscle a lot of people are turning to protein shakes.

My question is can these have any negative effects on your physical health and could they effect holding a class 1 at all?

Also I notice a lot have the sweetener sucralose. Is it true this can increase chances of migraines and headaches?

Looking at that article it would seem as though an extreme consumption of protein was taken. Too much consumption of anything including normal water can kill you.

The BBC did an interesting documentary not too long ago and it seemed the main negative was wether it actually works and if you could actually get just as much protein through food in a less expensive way.

The other negative was an individual who believed his high intake of protein powders caused him in his early 20's to generate kidney stones. This point maybe be of particular interest to crew in a pressurised cabin due to the low humidity.

I was more interested if anyone new if off the shelf protein powders could cause any issues relating to blood/urine tests for medical renewals etc.

I've been taking several different powders (L-glutamine, BCAA, Milk Protein Concentrate, Whey Protein Isolate) for about five years and it's helped me an awful lot both in losing fat and gaining lean weight as it makes it a lot easier to get the proteins I need for fewer calories overall (as other sources are much higher in fats and carbohydrates). There's no way I would be able to work out as intensively or as often as I do now without them either. There's no harm in it, as long as it's just protein - just beware what the actual product you are consuming contains.

The only possible downside is if you don't adjust your diet and consume more fibre and fluids when you start taking the supplements, you'll feel like you've been stuffed up with a cork. I think when I first started out my colon actually solidified.

Unsurprisingly, many protein supplement vendors also sell powdered fibre.

https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/death-by-protein-nope-heres-the-truth.html

They can sometimes :mad: up some of the blood and urine tests.

Whether or not it has a long term detrimental effect on life or quality of life in anyone's guess.

Gingernut,

Would you suggest not taking any protein supplements let's say a week before a medical renewal? In what way can they disrupt a urine/blood test?

I do sometimes wonder if in 10years time we will see articles saying protein users are more like to get X disease and so on. Probably similar situation for vaping.

Alter blood values? Please attach some evidence/study...

Here an interesting study about whey safety:

https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-4-8

Anyway whey protein powders are just food supplements. It's not always possible to eat regular food so they are a convenient way to reach macronutrient quota. First set a balanced diet and then supplement as required. If you prefer, you can find unflavored and unsweetened whey. Some brands also offers naturally sweetened (stevia) and naturally flavored powders.

At the end, I will be definitely more concerned about junk food, food contamination (see recent eggs alert in Europe) or ionizing radiation when flying...

I would also be interested in how they can disrupt the results of blood/urine tests, I've had a few examinations with an AME since I started taking protein supplements and no issue has ever been raised.

And just to second what thebdct said, Myprotein in the UK are a manufacturer that offer unflavoured versions of most of their products. I also wanted to limit my sucralose intake and as all supplements (sweetened or not) taste awful anyway I opt for the unflavoured variety all the time.

No, it's all a bit arbitrary at the moment, but the more blood they take out of you, the more they are likely to find wrong.

Big thing at the moment in the UK is the "CKD" (Chronic Kidney Disease) "register."

You may visit your GP with a sore toenail, (or whatever), and could end up on one of these things.

CrazyScientist, the flush of youth will probably let you get away with it. I have no idea about the physiology of protein metabolism, I'm sure some of my learned friends could fill you in. If you overload the system, then some will inevitably leak out (picked up on dipstick). That will then cause you, and your AME, another hurdle.

thebdct it's in my car at the moment, which is a crap excuse. If you have access to last years "Red Whale" or "CKS" it's worth a look. The whole protein/kidney stuff is worrying. Most sensitive stuff at the mo is eGFR and PCR/ACR. But watch this space :-)

But why load the odds at this crucial point ?

Hi, my apologize but I don't understand that part. I am not a native english speaker.

About overload, I agree with you: also water overload is dangerous. That's why I talk about balanced diet. There are some international guidelines about optimal protein intake according to lifestyle. A pilot needs less daily protein than an athlet of course...

There are loads of soldiers come a cropper from op massive supplements.

The younger lads seem to get away with it for a while and then it goes horribly wrong very quickly. Much like steroids.

My mate going through the Royals said they are quite sharp on all that stuff. Not that they are looking for muscle bulk anyway.

Op MASSIVE is a bit different - the guys that became 'croppers' were consuming supplements known to be banned substances. They really only have themselves to blame. There are plenty of approved supplements that are similar to a milkshake with extra sugar.

What are the 'Royals'?

I'm a little lost in the fog.
Can I suggest a greengrocer and a decent fishmongers as a good starting point :-)

I second that (gingernut).

Just eat the sort of foods our ancestors living in the jungle would eat, i.e. natural foods.

All this processed stuff is not what our bodies have evolved to deal with, so there is no knowing what long term side effects they will have. If folk want to put on muscle, there are ways to do that without eating foods containing unnatural chemicals, but it will take a lot of gym work.*

Reduce carbs, (sugar, potatoes, wheat, sugary drinks etc.) and increase good quality, unadulterated protein. There is a hell of a lot of hidden sugar in processed foods - one reason for the obesity epidemic. Make your own meals from scratch, then you know what is in them.



*The sort of girl/partner who is impressed by large muscles rather than your life values and attitudes might not be the best mate !

Piece in the The Times today about heart age suggests that consuming a protein shake may be good for your heart irrespective of whether you are training or not...so let's face it, we don't really know!

Royals

I meant Royal Marine Commando's, British Navy.