Question:
What kinds of Protien Can We Absorb? Or does it matter??
Hi! I've gotten some conflicting advice and am confused. I have been drinking some of the shakes for protein and also eating the Detour bar. Then someone told me that we (rny'ers) can't absorb the protien in the bars, cookies, or protien snacks, we can only absorb "pre-digested" protien such as what is found in the shakes. Is this true? My next DR. appointment isn't until the middle of July, and I wanted to know before then. So what's the verdict? Can we absorb the protien in the bars or only the protien in the shakes? Thanks so much for your help! — nehdeh (posted on June 30, 2003)
June 30, 2003
I am not a doctor but I don't believe this is true. While it is true that
the pre-digested stuff is easier for us to absorb, it doesn't matterwhat
kind you eat. It all passes thru the same area. If you can digest the
food it is in, then you are absorbing some of it.
— Delores S.
June 30, 2003
I think it depends on how much intestine was bypassed. I am a proximal and
my dr specifically told me that I would lose weight almost exclusively thru
"restriction" or limiting the amount I eat. A distal bypass
patient will lose through both "restriction" AND
"malabsorption" or not absorbing all the nutrients that they eat.
So, while distal patients may be limited in the types of foods they can
absorb, proximal patients will absorb more quantity and more types just
because there is more intestine for the food to go thru. Make sense? That
said, I do not believe that I have complete absorption just like I would if
I had my stomach in the loop, so I overestimate a bit on my protein: I
should eat 80 grams or so a day and I aim for 100. Just in case. ;)
— ctyst
June 30, 2003
This is a good question, and one for which I haven't seen any study done at
all (though I've seen tons and tons of opinions, some of which may be
derived from certain manufacturers' claims -- consider the source there).
I have seen the assertion that the most absorbable protein is whey protein
in a protein shake, as it's the most bioavailable of proteins, *but* that
doesn't mean you're not absorbing protein from soy, or from foods, or from
protein bars or protein cookies (though your absorption rate may different
among those things). I've also heard we absorb more protein from animal
protein than we do from soy. The difference in absorption among these
things could be negligible in some folks, and as Cheri points out, then
there's the question of whether you're proximal or distal (and those are
defined differently by different docs).<P>As a proximal RNY (75 cm.
bypassed), my solution (so far) is to use protein shakes and protein foods
and even protein cookies. I don't use protein bars because they just don't
happen to be my cup of tea, tastewise, otherwise, I'd do those too just to
cover my bases! I get over 120 grams of protein a day, and at 13 months
out, my labs still show me to be in the low normal range for protein (which
is where I was a pre-op, too, when life was an ongoing Festival 'O' Carbs).
If I wasn't consciously taking in lots of protein, I guess I'd be in
trouble by now. I'm just going to keep watching my labs over time (get
copies from your doc and look at the levels -- don't just accept the verbal
statement that they're "normal" -- look for trends!), and try and
figure out what works for me in the long run.<P>If you consume lots
of different proteins from different souces, you will probably cover your
bases pretty well. Labs and time will tell. JMHWAG (just my humble
wild-***ed guess!).
— Suzy C.
June 30, 2003
I am still a pre-op, but have done SO much research,and also subscribe as a
non-posting member to a "graduate" list of wls patients who are a
year or more post-op. There is much talk about this subject, and it has
always been stated that you'll absorb a much higher percentage of the
protein from one of the pre-digested shakes than you would from say a piece
of meat with the same number of grams of protein. That's a big deal and
something I think we should always keep in mind, as getting enough protein
is so important!
— Jiminy
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