Protein shakes and constipation

[pm100]

Hi,
This may be a long shot as it might not be something anyone else has a problem with, but basically I have a medical condition that means even slight constipation causes me pretty bad problems.
My diet is very good (because it has to be), I've done everything I can to make sure I don't suffer this problem with my normal food. My fibre and water intake is spot on. However having a protein shake seems to almost always cause me problems the next day. I've tried a few, and find MP Impact Whey to be very good, but it still causes me problems.
Has anyone else ever had this problem that has found a solution? I've tried including Fybogel in the shake. I've increased water intake around the time I excercise and drink the protein shake to above recommended levels, and it doesn't seem to work.
I want to be able to work out and acheive the best results, and I'm finding it very hard to do this without protein shakes, so I'm really hoping to find the answer to my problem somehow.
Thanks

[NU_nutrition_TS]

If you have a medical condition that is exacerbated by even slight constipation, you need to discuss this problem with your GP.

Without knowing what the medical condition is, it is difficult to give general advice anyway - and I would not expect you to divulge what that condition is on a public forum (even if you are - to all intents and purposes - anonymous!).

[pm100]

Hi, thanks for the reply, but I think you misunderstand. I'm not looking for medical advice. The medical condition is something that has been / is being dealt with by my GP and various specialists. I am just trying to find a way to able to still have protein shakes, and wondered if anyone here has ever had issues with protein shakes and constipation, and if they ever found a way to lessen the problem. Cheers

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Fair enough! I guess I read too much into:

Quote

I have a medical condition that means even slight constipation causes me pretty bad problems.

I was concerned that, without knowing the condition and what the 'pretty bad problems' were, it might not be prudent to offer advice.

My own experience is that nothing 'bungs me up' more than dietary fibre while some proteins give me the runs!

You say you use whey protein but still get problems. I could understand a casein-based protein doing that because casein tends to clot in the stomach but I would have thought whey would not. Do you use milk or water to make your shakes? If milk, it could be the casein in this that is having an effect.

Another possibility is that you may have a degree of lactose intolerance. Whey isolate has less lactose in it than whey concentrate. MPs Impact Whey comes in both concentrate and isolate form - if you have the concentrate it may be worth switching to the isolate form to see if that helps. Same goes with using milk to make your protein shake if you are lactose intolerant - it may be beneficial to switch to juice or water or a non-dairy milk like coconut or almond, etc.

Another option (again assuming the problem is lactose intolerance) is to try MPs True Whey which comes with digestive aids like Digezyme and Lactospore.

[pm100]

Very useful thank you. I'll have a further read but it sounds like it's worth trying the true whey

[ben 21]

nah go for the impact whey isolate, mix with water and keep fibre to a premium. with your condition things like milk and egg proteins are your worst enemy. you may want to eat things that are easier to digest, white rice, white pasta etc. those choices are fine if you add fat to lower the gi. im certanly not a doctor but i think you could be lactose intollerant. the fact that you say you have no problems in your diet, im guesing your ok with things like chicken and things, if it was me i wouldnt even take protein shakes. i diddnt use them for the first 2 years of my training. sweet and sickly things lol i cant wait for the day i can buy a high protein noodle soup.