Protein Supplementation, Part 3 - Problems with Protein

Protein Supplementation, Part 3 - Problems with Protein
by Jon Barron
9/1/2008 Link to full article below

Allergies, food intolerances, aminoacidemia, and intestinal toxemia are all problems that can accompany protein supplementation. They are also all factors to consider when choosing a protein supplement. The bottom line is that choosing the right protein supplement is not necessarily as simple as comparing product labels in a store.

Protein digestion begins in the stomach. If the food you eat is not cooked or processed, enzymes present in the food itself will actually break down some 70% of the protein in the first hour in a process called autolytic digestion. After the first hour, pepsinogen and hydrochloric acid are introduced to the process (the hydrochloric acid converts the pepsinogen into pepsin). Pepsin further breaks down the protein into amino acids and their derivatives, a process that is completed (theoretically) by the enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin produced in the pancreas and released into the small intestine. The amino acids and related molecules derived from the dietary protein are then absorbed through the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. The absorption rate of the individual amino acids is highly dependent on the protein source. For example, after whey protein is broken down, some 90% of it is absorbed quickly -- perhaps too quickly -- whereas soy protein is
absorbed much more slowly and much less completely. A rice and pea protein combination, on the other hand splits the difference -- sharing soy's longer absorption time frame, but whey's high level of ultimate absorption.

To read the full article: http://www.jonbarron.org/baseline-health-program/2008-09-01.php