Effect of protein source and resistance training on body composition and sex hormones

[Scott Kolasinski]

This time, I got the entire research article. Too much text to print it all here. You have to go to the link below.


Research article
.
Effect of protein source and resistance training on body composition and sex hormones
Douglas Kalman , Samantha Feldman , Michele Martinez , Diane R Krieger and Mark J Tallon
Miami Research Associates, Nutrition/Endocrinology Division, Miami, Florida, USA

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2007, 4:4 doi:10.1186/1550-2783-4-4

http://www.jissn.com/content/4/1/4

There's a lot of talk out there in the nutrition world of the effect of soy on a man's hormone levels. Some believe men should avoid it entirely because it may throw off the T:E ratio toward more E versus T. This study is clearly not an "end-all-be-all" study that will end this debate. If anything, it just continues the debate.

Any other comments?

[jlorenz]

These 12 week / 20 participant studies are interesting but I'm never too sure about what they mean.

Frequently the participants are college kids - who are in plentiful supply near the universities where these studies are usually conducted.

Had the study been done on a group of 50 year old-f*rts like me who are running on hormonal fumes rather than the full complement of hormones of the 20 and 30 somethings - it would be more meaningful to me.

Until more research is done on soy and the controversy is resolved - my feeling is that it might be wisest to use soy in moderation - to consume protein from a variety of sources - and workout with intensity to stimulate the body to do the right thing.

BTW - related topic - I've been using Muscle Milk powder. MM is a blend of casein and whey proteins.

Not being too sure about casein - I just looked up casein in wikipedia. Wow. I see there is a possible link between casein and cancer, that casein may aggravate autism, and that casein breaks down into casomorphin - a histamine releaser. As someone who suffers from hay-fever (grass and tree pollen allergies) - I do not need more histamines.

Scott - what are your thoughts on casein and MM as a supplemental protein source?

If one *believes* in moderation and variety - on general principles - then what is the best way to consume a variety of proteins in moderation?

Supplement Rotation (soy one day, whey the next day, egg albumin the third day)

or

Continuously Supplement w/ a Blend (soy/casein/whey/egg albumin) every day

or

Supplement Cycling (soy for one month, off for a month, whey the third month)?

or

Limit supplements and meal replacement foods and find more time to cook healthy meals!

or

some other answer???!!!

-jim-

[Scott Kolasinski]

These 12 week / 20 participant studies are interesting but I'm never too sure about what they mean.
Frequently the participants are college kids - who are in plentiful supply near the universities where these studies are usually conducted.
Had the study been done on a group of 50 year old-f*rts like me who are running on hormonal fumes rather than the full complement of hormones of the 20 and 30 somethings - it would be more meaningful to me.
A couple of things here, the study shows that the subjects were 18-40 years old with an average age of 30.7 ± 6.5 years, so there appears to be a pretty good mix of age.
Also, I understand your "old-fart" concern [props for using that phrase!]. Usually whenever scientists are trying to venture out into a novel area as these researchers were doing, they want to eliminate as many confounding factors as possible. The authors say "This study is the first to investigate the effects of whey and soy protein supplements on androgenic hormones during 12 weeks of resistance training." At your age, we are running on different levels of "hormone fumes" (as you said). For the sake of the study, without getting more detailed, the authors wanted to first see whether or not if a difference could be seen in anybody healthy with less confounding variables.


BTW - related topic - I've been using Muscle Milk powder. MM is a blend of casein and whey proteins.
Not being too sure about casein - I just looked up casein in wikipedia. Wow. I see there is a possible link between casein and cancer, that casein may aggravate autism, and that casein breaks down into casomorphin - a histamine releaser. As someone who suffers from hay-fever (grass and tree pollen allergies) - I do not need more histamines.
Scott - what are your thoughts on casein and MM as a supplemental protein source?
Sorry it's taken me so long to reply.
Casein and Muscle Milk rock! In terms of your concerns about cancer, autism aggravation and histamine: 1) In the same wikipedia article, "Others have noted that the studies discussed in the The China Study do not conclude what Campbell [the author of The China Study] claims and caution, "Campbell consistently presents only half the story -- at best -- through the duration of the book." As complicated as cancer is, it's tough to have it all come down to one factor. It's probably multi-factorial, including diet, genes and environment.
2) Autism and histamine are interrelated in that they suggest that the allergenicity of casein may cause more serious effects in individuals. Casein is the more allergenic component of milk - no doubt about that. Individuals who may be more allergic should avoid it.
For you, try avoiding milk and dairy when your hay-fever acts up. Perhaps you will feel better.
3) However, there are also benefits of casein in those who do not have an allergy to it in terms body composition and enhancing our immune system. In short, casein helps us retain muscle while dieting better than whey protein which has resulted in more fat loss in one experiment. The only caution I've read involving casein alone is in individuals with high cholesterol. But even then, another study showed a casein diet actually lowered a cardiovascular marker called lipoprotein (A) better than soy. If casein has deleterious effects on blood lipids and tumor formation (cancer), then heavy milk drinkers should suffer from more healthy problems. Overall, the research has not supported a consistent trend.
In terms of Muscle Milk, you get a combination of casein, whey, glutamine, MCT's and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. Each have many benefits. But MM is a supplement/meal-replacement - use it as such. Don't live on it, but use it when you may need a quick meal, more calories and/or something else may not be available.

If one *believes* in moderation and variety - on general principles - then what is the best way to consume a variety of proteins in moderation?

Supplement Rotation (soy one day, whey the next day, egg albumin the third day)
or
Continuously Supplement w/ a Blend (soy/casein/whey/egg albumin) every day
or
Supplement Cycling (soy for one month, off for a month, whey the third month)?
or
Limit supplements and meal replacement foods and find more time to cook healthy meals!
or
some other answer???!!!

There isn't a right or wrong answer to this. You can do it how ever you want. Do any of the above or change products with different ratios of ingredients, etc. But you should be already getting a variety of protein from eating various protein sources such as white and cold-water fish, chicken, beef, turkey, game, etc.