Intestinal cramping and (more) gas

[Martino]

I currently have 3 types of Whey protein supplements in my arsenal and all seem to give me intestinal cramping and a great deal more of the good stuff (gas). One of them I've used for over a year, the second for 4 months or so, and the third one for the past week.

I usually have two protein shakes a day, one in the morning with breakfast and the other post-workout. Also, I've been drinking protein drinks for 6 or 7 years now.

I've heard of "digestive" pills and other "gas relieving" pills and I wonder if these might help me.

Since I'm experiencing the same problems with three different protein supplements from three different companies, could this be a digestive problem or an allergic reaction to Whey protein?

Has any one experienced similar problems/reactions to Whey protein?

[bryanc]

"Protein farts" are quite common, but cramping isn't. Two things you can try are 1) more water intake (increased consumption of protein requires more water to process) and 2) decrease the amount of protein in your shakes or spread out the consumption of a single shake. Lots of shakes these days have 40+ grams of protein per shake. Some people's digestive systems just don't like that much protein taken all at once; and they'll make that clear. Try cutting the protein amount in half and work your way up or down according to your symptoms.

One last thing you should check is what _other_ ingredients are in your shake powder. You may have sensitivities to certain ingredients--particularly sweeteners (aspartame, saccharine, sucralose) that may account for your symptoms as well.

Since you've been drinking shakes for 6-7 years, I'd recommend possibly going back to a brand/formulation that didn't cause your problems--or at least comparing the ingredients (both in name from the ingredient list and quantity from the nutritional guide label) of your previous non-problematic brands with the ones you're taking now.

[Martino]

I do drink a great deal of water and my protein drinks are at the highest 22 grams each. The only problem is that for as long as I can remember the shakes have affected me this way. I was hoping a switch of brands would prove helpful, but it hasn't.

Thank you for the advice

[bryanc]

The only other things I can think of are a) you have a sensitivity to either the type of protein you're consuming (whey vs soy vs something else); b) you have a sensitivity to something else in the shake powder; c) I dunno if you drink them with milk (either soy or other) or water, but if milk, you could have a sensitivity there; or d) you've got other problems that are manifesting themselves when you drink protein shakes which may or may not be related to your shake consumption.

You're going to have to be very systematic about brand switching. I don't know if they sell individual servings of protein much--'cause otherwise it's going to be one expensive bit of experimenting.

Your other option is to go see a physician to see if they can't help you out. Just make sure that you make clear to the physician that, "Stop drinking protein shakes" isn't really an option other than a temporary one unless it's related to the root cause of your cramps.