Thread by @drabbyphilips

Great session moderated by @chiragbarjatyaa on whey protein supplementations.

To add on to this, there is definitely a lot of confusion regarding adverse effects of whey protein in general and patient population

Here is one such paper cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.113… in which...

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https://twitter.com/docwholift/status/1392800291238465538

...authors mention that (abusive) use of whey (abusive - not defined) was associated with liver and kidney injury

They also mention - chronic use (not defined) and without professional guidance use of whey was associated with (some) liver and kidney side effects

Upfront...

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...this systematic review is scary.

It will confuse the reader and deter those who wish to use whey supplements

But, see this letter to the editor by another group of authors criticizing the original paper cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/ap…

One can notice that the paper was...

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...full of misleading interpretation and illogical assessments from human AND ANIMAL studies

This is the reason why there was 'overreaction' to adverse events as reported by the authors

For eg, this paper pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25352651/ showed liver injury with whey - but in RATS.

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While this report is titled "A Rare Case of Severe Liver Injury due 2 Whey Protein Supplementation"
bit.ly/3w1rx7v

In fact, the person was consuming whey AMONG OTHER supplements and also alcohol

This is poor ethics in publication by authors, as title is misleading

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While this paper pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21489294/
showed protective effect of whey in non-alcoholic fatty liver - again, in rats

These animal studies, we do not consider it serious to be extrapolated to real life human scenario - this is important - one must know 'threshing'...

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...of published literature - "loosening the chaff from the grain" to improve on quality of advice

Similarly, this study pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18452122/ says in the title, liver injury with whey (AND CREATINE)

But an lay reader - will probably think all whey is bad - which is not

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So can we conclude that whey is ABSOLUTELY safe for all?

No we cannot
Why?

Becoz required high quality randomized studies in specific grps R STILL lacking

But, from short/intermediate published observations whey is safe 4 use as an adjuct - in malnourished / 4 performance

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Two good studies show that whey supplementation is

1 effective in improving muscle mass in elderly
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26170041/

2 useful in sports performance and recovery
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…

As one is a network metanalysis, so there is some quality evidence

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But do not consider all protein supplements safe.

We discuused pure whey only

Beware of herbal and dietary protein supplements (HDS) where a lot of other minerals/herbs/untested performance enhancers are added for 'advertisement' value

This is very dangerous becoz...

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...HDS has been shown to be associated with multiple events of liver injury, liver failure and some requiring liver transplantation

In fact recent Latin American Study showed proprietary HDS such as #herbalife were associated with severe liver injury pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33434654/

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And protein supplements that are multi-component in nature are associated with more adverse events - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.10…

So stay away from such pyramid schemes/multi-level marketing nutritional clubs like #herbalife as they are not run by professionals, but lay persons

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Just like one must approach a medically trained doctor for diagnosis and treatment,

one should always consult with a trained and professional nutrition specialist/dietitian for advice on protein use

During the session, I was glad 2 interact with responsible and sensible...

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...evidence based nutritional specialists such as @NachikethShetty @chiragbarjatyaa @AnikethShetty1 @DrHarshadFit @TheFitGujju @pam11mamc @docwholift who are ideal for clarifying all your doubts

Remember, professional help and discussion is the crux of any activity.

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