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Writer's pictureFranco Cavaleri, BSc, Ph.Dc

Revitalize Your Gut: Choosing the Right Whey Protein for Gastrointestinal Recovery

Updated: Oct 16, 2023

Blended excerpts from Potential Within A Guide to Nutritional Empowerment

Authored by Franco Cavaleri ISBN 0-9731701-0-7

Original post: September 17, 2010



This article is composed of multiple excerpts to result in tone and content shifts and reference numbering that may be out of order.

That Gut Feeling

Gastrointestinal-tract disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs),

Crohn’s and colitis present unique challenges since absorption of the nutrients

required to rebuild health is hindered by the damaged gut itself. IBDs tend to run

in the family and are thought to have a strong genetic foundation, but here again

we mustn’t forget familial eating habits, lifestyle choices, and cultural influences

that are common within the genetically linked group.


Diet must be altered to start the recovery process. The high-fiber diet that Ageless


Revitalize Your Gut: Choosing the Right Whey Protein for Gastrointestinal Recovery

Performance provides, however, isn’t the choice for recovery in this instance. An elemental diet, in most cases, must be employed, one that’s predigested and in its elemental state so that the digestive process isn’t heavily worked and absorption is effortless, allowing the intestines as much rest as possible.


Dairy products and beef must be eliminated. The best protein source, though it’s dairy, is whey protein isolate (not concentrate) dissolved in purified water and cabbage juice with no added sweeteners or additives (30 g of whey per serving). Whey isn’t as allergenic as casein can be. Furthermore, whey protein isolate has tremendous therapeutic value and contains relatively no lactose or arachidonic acid (omega-6 fat) in its isolated form. However, whey concentrates may contain some lactose and fat.


The common whey isolate supplementation isn’t the best representation of elemental

protein, since it isn’t completely hydrolyzed. In order to eliminate allergenic potential of a protein source as much as possible, hydrolysis must be complete (74, 75, 76). In fact, this is the strategy used to create hypoallergenic protein sources whether from casein or whey—as close to 100% hydrolysis as possible. However, hydrolysis reduces the biological value of a protein source to extreme lows.


Revitalize Your Gut: Choosing the Right Whey Protein for Gastrointestinal Recovery

Again my recommendation is to use a cold cross-flow or ion-exchanged whey protein isolate that still contains intact di- and tripeptide units and results in a higher biological value. The product label description of the protein supplement must reveal these specifications. This undenatured supplement provides better assimilation and more tissue-retained protein.


If the gastrointestinal condition is such that this undenatured whey protein isolate can’t be tolerated, the alternative must be the elemental, completely hydrolyzed, lactose- and fat-free whey. Use the tolerable protein source with the lowest degree of hydrolysis to save some biological value. Once again the first choice is the undenatured whey isolate. If this is tolerable, recovery will be faster. If it isn’t tolerable, switch back to it when the condition is such that the more bioavailable protein can be digested without difficulty.


Revitalize Your Gut: Choosing the Right Whey Protein for Gastrointestinal Recovery

The cabbage juice base for this protein drink has to be freshly made each time. If desired, add some freshly juiced celery and a small piece of concurrently juiced apple for flavor. This beverage will be the daily elemental sustenance until gastrointestinal inflammation subsides, and it’s the only time the juicing process is allowed as an exclusive nourishment alternative to fiber-rich food. On any other occasion juicing should be accompanied by natural fiber in the day.


Such a strategy allows nourishment to make its way to needy cells without irritating the

intestines. When supplemental lactobacillus can be tolerated, its inclusion is important,

since persistent diarrhea will abolish the friendly bacterial colony and re-inoculation with supplemental probiotics as soon as possible will be required.


Revitalize Your Gut: Choosing the Right Whey Protein for Gastrointestinal Recovery

To the life-support drink, add a few grams of glutamine and a couple of grams of ornithine alpha-ketoglutarate (OKG). These factors feed direct fuel to the mucosal lining for recovery and regeneration, which is important when food bulk is eliminated from the diet.


The addition of fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) is important, as well, since fiber elimination from the diet removes the fuel for friendly bacteria. FOS, a non digestible fiber, feeds the friendly colony to support health in many ways, yet doesn’t deliver irritating roughage to a vulnerable, inflamed intestine. The problem is that it can contribute to flatulence and must be used sparingly in the beginning. Use what you can tolerate, say, 200 mg at a time. FOS must be supplied in gram quantities to reach three to six grams per day.


However, this ultimate dose will be achieved over a 30 day period to alleviate discomfort which could be caused by the incremental flatulence. The gas is a positive thing which indicates the gut friendly microbes are using the soluble fiber to produce the short chain fatty acids necessary for maximum health. However, this FOS or other dietary fibers like it cannot deliver benefit unless the gut friendly bacterial are concurrently available. This is a crucial step in the recovery process but it is not that cut and dried. These symbiotic organisms are delicate and they do not survive long periods in their dose forms. If a

bottle’s label indicates a 5 billion count of live organisms per capsule this is often the claim for the finished product at the time of completion.


In order to facilitate noticeable health results, 50 billion live organisms per day need to be consumed. This could require a total of 100 and even 200 billion be consumed daily to compensate for the natural decline in activity while stored on the shelf. In other words, that 200 billion count may only be delivering about 50 billion live organisms to inoculate the gastrointestinal tract.


Revitalize Your Gut: Choosing the Right Whey Protein for Gastrointestinal Recovery

Research is only recently confirming how these symbiotic creatures work and mainstream medicine cannot refute the incredible health support to anti-inflammatory systems, cardiovascular parameters, powerful immune activity, insulin support, and even brain health.


The short chain fatty acids produced by these creatures are ultimately essential for optimal health. We depend on these microbes so much for health that without them, we’re sitting ducks to pathogens. After four weeks of these high doses maintain the microbe population with a minimum of 20 billion live cells taken orally each day. This application will alleviate symptoms of colitis, Crohns, and other IBD’s with tremendous potency.


Revitalize Your Gut: Choosing the Right Whey Protein for Gastrointestinal Recovery

Transition of food in the gut stimulates mucosal cells to proliferate and regenerate. When solid food has been eliminated from the diet, dietary glutamine becomes imperative in supplemental form. It plays an important role in the conservation of structure and function of intestinal cells under normal and stressful conditions. Glutamine induces mucosal cell proliferation and robustness to maintain health and combat leaky gut syndrome (77).


This supplement is also an integral battle agent against rheumatoid arthritis and makes the gutless permeable to allergenic compounds that can seep into the systemic circulation (78).


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