[TexasLifter89]

Worldwide Dairy Shortage Causes Supplement Companies to Turn to Even Cheaper Protein Sources – Buyer Beware.
As the science behind the health-promoting effects of various milk components (most notably whey protein) continues to accumulate, various food manufacturers around the globe have become eager to include beneficial dairy components in their product offerings. Always at the forefront of nutritional science, the Asian marketplace especially has seen demand for dairy-based “functional foods” skyrocket in the past few years. (Not surprisingly, it seems that cultures which are not dominated by the pharmaceutically-driven model of disease treatment are usually more open to advances in nutritional science and the role of nutrition and disease.)

As basic economic theory dictates, this increase in demand on a global scale makes the supply of high-quality dairy ingredients a more precious and valuable commodity, and prices on the full spectrum of dairy components have begun to rise accordingly.

What Does The Global Economy Have To Do With My Protein Supplement?

Nutritional supplement companies in this country who produce dairy-based protein supplements have begun to feel the squeeze of increased raw material prices, and in an effort to maintain their huge profit margins, have employed a few more dirty tricks at the expense of you, the nutritional supplement consumer.

You may have already noticed that some major supplement companies have already begun to:
1) Use more of the relatively cheap whey protein concentrate in their formulas (as indicated by higher and higher cholesterol levels).
2) Raise prices on their protein supplements
3) Produce products using even cheaper (and potentially harmful) non-dairy protein sources like soy.

What’s Wrong With Soy?

To put it simply soy protein is an abysmal protein source for a protein supplement. Not only does soy contain potentially harmful compounds (phytoestrogens, phytates, trypsin inhibitors) which are not eliminated in the production of soy protein powder, but the industrial production of soy protein powder actually CREATES additional toxic elements (lysinolanine, nitrosamines) not found in other soy products.

Despite billions of dollars worth of marketing propaganda to the contrary, soy protein – the “miracle food” that was supposed to end world hunger, and supply us with an inexpensive and almost limitless supply of protein, has largely failed to live up to even the most conservative expectations. In fact, as the research on soy protein ingestion has progressed over the years, some VERY startling findings have shaken the faith of even the most fervent soy supporters.

As we reported in our whey protein article, when a major food industry (in this case the soy industry) wants to sell you a product that they would otherwise dispose of (soy meal from soy oil production) be VERY suspect of that foods quality. This warning is true for the cheaper whey protein concentrates (a residual element from cheese production) and is also true of soy protein powder.

Soy Protein and Hormonal Havoc

We have already shown that soy contains powerful estrogen-like chemicals, the two most notable being genistein and daidzein which can have negative effects on hormone synthesis, tissue growth, thyroid function, brain function, fertility, immunity, and cardiac function to name a few. In the past, these estrogen-like chemicals were thought (or perhaps hoped) to have anti-estrogen (and thus protective) effects on the tissues of the body, but as research progressed these compounds were shown to exhibit a decidedly ADDITIVE effect with estrogen, making both of these compounds synergistically toxic, instead of protective to cells.

Developmental effects of dietary phytoestrogens in...[Toxicol Sci. 1999] - PubMed Result

Dietary genistein exerts estrogenic effects upon t...[J Nutr. 1997] - PubMed Result

Unfortunately, the marketing department of most supplement companies only keeps up with the research when it’s good for the bottom line, so when studies like these emerge you’ll almost never hear about them.

Did We Mention That Money Makes The World Go ‘Round?

So, why is soy protein so widely used in “health” products, and why has soy noticed a re-emergence in protein supplements? The answer is simple – because it’s cheap. As we’ve discussed previously (in our article on trans fats, and in our article on food additives in nutritional supplements) the production of soy OIL – the most common oil in this country – found in every deep fryer in every restaurant throughout the land – leaves behind MOUNTAINS of soy meal from which soy protein is produced.

Even as a food for livestock, or as a food for starving populations in third world countries, soy protein never performed up to the optimistic expectations of the soy industry. A person who expects soy protein to nourish his or her body when it cannot even produce healthy livestock or protect the severely malnourished populations of a third world country has clearly bought into the soy industry’s marketing hype hook line and sinker – It is clear that if you want to perform at your best you must hold yourself to a higher standard of evidence than the marketing propaganda of the food and nutritional supplement industries.

Soy Rises From the Dead

A decade ago, in the light of emerging research, those of us in the nutritional supplement industry began to see somewhat of a grass-roots uprising against soy. As studies began to see the light of day indicating that soy could drastically lower testosterone levels, thyroid hormone, and reduce fertility, soy became anathema to some of the more discerning and health-conscious men and women who were exposed to the then cutting-edge research.

Bodybuilders especially – who are obviously looking to maximize their hormonal environment for muscle growth and fat loss, wouldn’t touch soy protein with a ten-foot barbell – and for good reason – not only did the scientific literature indicate that soy could cause a host of hormonal problems, but empirical observation indicated that athletes simply performed and recovered better with high quality proteins like whey protein isolate. (Along the same lines, while whey protein isolate is absorbed easily, soy protein is notoriously difficult to digest – all of the soy-marketing hype in the world isn’t enough to divert your attention away from that unpleasant rumbling in your intestines that comes along with high intakes of soy protein).

It’s Ten Years Later – And Soy Is Still Bad

But fast forward ten years and as the price of other proteins has increased, soy has begun to creep back into more and more protein supplements – even as the research continues to accumulate, implicating soy in an increasingly large number of metabolic disturbances.

As we’ve reported so often in the past, profit is king within the supplement industry, and most nutritional supplement companies will think nothing of producing the cheapest products that the market will allow – often at the expense of your health. They obviously think that their customers are easy to fool, and that given enough time they’ll be able to sell any ingredient they wish to a whole new generation of unsuspecting consumers.

So, What Is Soy’s Place In The Diet?

Any rational inclusion of soyfoods in the diet would contain low to modest amounts of fermented soy products like miso, tempeh, or natto. It is the fermentation method which deactivates many of the harmful “anti-nutrients” in soy while avoiding harmful compounds produced by the harsh alkaline treatment which soy protein isolate must undergo. Fermented soyfoods will still contain the phytoestrogens, so even these foods should be minimized or eliminated completely by children (with their developing endocrine system) and pregnant women.

As food for thought - it also may be the lactic acid bacteria produced in fermentation which is responsible for many of the health benefits attributed to soy (traditional Asian cultures always ate fermented soy products – not the processed soy protein isolate which is so common in this country).

In an interesting twist, much of the dairy usage which we previously mentioned is exploding in Asian countries is being used to produce fermented dairy products (super high-potency yogurts, kefir and the like). Maybe these Asian cultures knew (and continue to practice) something that goes largely unrecognized here in the West. Perhaps it’s the beneficial lactic acid bacteria of fermentation which offers the health benefits largely attributed to soy in traditional Asian cultures, and perhaps the soy itself would not offer the same benefits in an unfermented state. With their increasing use of probiotic-rich fermented dairy, these cultures may be inadvertently continuing a centuries-old legacy of good health brought about by traditional food preparation practices like fermentation.

Either way, soy protein isolate – like so much else in the nutritional supplements industry is really the nutritional equivalent of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Largely because soy has been marketed as a panacea for decades, it often operates under the radar of our skepticism all the while undermining our health. And be forewarned, you’ll find it in more and more protein supplements (including protein bars and drinks) as time goes on, especially if dairy proteins remain in high demand.

source: (http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/1030155/18146548)

[Nightwanderer]

this looks almost like they're trying to say:
'Whey prices are gonna go up due to high demand. we'll call it a 'shortage' to make it sound less like price gouging. By the way, soy, is really, really bad. so even though we the supplement industry will be treating whey prices like it's gasoline, please don't go for anything that might be a lot cheaper, especially whey's main
alternative, soy.

On a side note, I find it reasonable that making soy your main protein source could be bad for men, with all the hormonal hype about it, but, a few grams here and there added to your supplemental nutrition setup probably is nothing to worry about. The article says that starving third world countries and livestock, when eating nothing but soy end up with nutritional issues I don't doubt it, but if I chose to live off of whey for more than 6 months, with almost no eggs, meat, veggie protein etc, I'm sure I'd end up with problems too. I've met vegan males with no health issues, who were bigger than me.

[TexasLifter89]

yeah i try to keep my whey to only before & after WO's sometime as a shake meal. but ill second what you said bro. thought it was an interesting article worth AM's reading

[BodyWizard]

Lest you think it's happy-marketing-speak to put a bright face on rising whey prices, consider this article, posted here @ AM 4 years ago:

Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food

[pmiller383]

I know cnizz from trueprotein.com just said that the cost of whey concentrate will actually be dropping shortly. Add in one of the True Protein discount codes like PKM142 and you can afford whey again. sorry for the shameless dropping of my discount code for that site lol. T-nation just had an article about soy saying it wasn't really to horrible for men after all, just got to keep moderation in mind.

[TexasLifter89]

Originally Posted by pmiller383

I know cnizz from trueprotein.com just said that the cost of whey concentrate will actually be dropping shortly. Add in one of the True Protein discount codes like PKM142 and you can afford whey again. sorry for the shameless dropping of my discount code for that site lol. T-nation just had an article about soy saying it wasn't really to horrible for men after all, just got to keep moderation in mind.

well all i know is prices at work just started increasing...so i dont see how it could already be dropping again?

[pmiller383]

Originally Posted by CNizz

nother note: Whey Concentrate looks like it is dropping in the market, should be seeing some lowering prices soon!

He posted this last week in a different thread, got to love supply and demand.

[TexasLifter89]

Originally Posted by pmiller383

He posted this last week in a different thread, got to love supply and demand.

hmm who knows. i know if you buy it in stores prices are just startin go incline...

[Necroticism]

i know. its rediculous the prices now. sams eas protein went fron 28$ for 6 lbs to 32$ for 5. its almost cheaper to buy a can of tuna and eat that post workout.

[poopypants]

Originally Posted by TexasLifter89

well all i know is prices at work just started increasing...so i dont see how it could already be dropping again?

Where do you work?

[poopypants]

Originally Posted by pmiller383

I know cnizz from trueprotein.com just said that the cost of whey concentrate will actually be dropping shortly. Add in one of the True Protein discount codes like PKM142 and you can afford whey again. sorry for the shameless dropping of my discount code for that site lol. T-nation just had an article about soy saying it wasn't really to horrible for men after all, just got to keep moderation in mind.

ummm what mix/blend were you purchasing from true protein??? didnt seem that affordable from what I saw.... On whey seems alot better priced...

[djbombsquad]

3) Produce products using even cheaper (and potentially harmful) non-dairy protein sources like soy.

What’s Wrong With Soy? nothing

To put it simply soy protein is an abysmal protein source for a protein supplement. Not only does soy contain potentially harmful compounds (phytoestrogens, phytates, trypsin inhibitors) not true again. They are to week to actually create ***** tits enless you directly inject estrogen which are not eliminated in the production of soy protein powder, but the industrial production of soy protein powder actually CREATES additional toxic elements (lysinolanine, nitrosamines) not found in other soy products not true. I just got blood work done and I am in perfect health. Also Soy does not have cholesterol which is a good thing. Do you want to talk about dangerous look at dairy.
http://notmilk.com/a.html


By Robert Cohen Executive Director

= ALLERGIES
"Dairy products may play a major role in the development of ALLERGIES, asth