In defense of Unjury

I don't even use the stuff because I'm lactose intolerant, and even whey products give me so much gas I feel like I'm having a heart attack....but last year when Hank's "magic" protein formula came onto OH ...and he was telling people (hank that is) that they were complete losers if they didn't use his product, it was unjury's independent testing that exposed Hank's forumula for what it really was...quick chocolate milk mix.  I'm not saying that their practices are good, bad, or whatever, I am saying that I'm not prepared to pay 1000s of dollars for independent lab evaluations, and while their motives may not be pure (obviously their intent is to "destroy" the competition), the ends in this case might justify the means. We now know because of their independent testing that IDS and profects protein vials are basically useless to the post op for normal use, we know that Hank's formula was a waste of money, he was charging 40 dollars for a 2 lb tub, when Quick chocolate milk mix sells for abotu 3 dollars a lb.  Scott

Ya, I like Unjury.

I sampled a vial (...vile) of Profect a few months ago. The label said it would "energize" you. Meh, it was free so I gave it a swig. After a few short minutes I thought I was having an alergic reaction to the crap. There's some kind of B vitamin compound that makes your skin tingle. It was like being bitten by a million ants....not something I prefer in a supplement. I ended up taking a Benedryl just in case, so now I was tingly, groggy, and protein deficient. WOOT for nothing.

So, on another note, why the post? Did I miss something about Unjury in a previous post, or did you just want to vent about something? For w/e reason..cool cool.

Yeah, this stuff contains "Actinase", an "animal-derived" protein.  Until Profect  fesses-up about what's in "Actinase", it's just collagen/gelatin as far as my wallet is concerned. Some protein supplements advertised to bodybuilders and weight lifters contain beta-alanine, a substance that sounds like an amino acid, but strictly-speaking isn't one, at least nutritionally.  It's added to some protein supplements for two reasons: It's a precursor to carnosine, a dipeptide found in muscle. High doses of beta-alanine cause an uncomfortable, temporary pins-and-needles paresthesia.  This is somewhat similar to the effect of niacin/nicotinic acid (B3), but B3 also causes flushing of the skin, and is due to the release of prostaglandins.  I don't think the mechanism of the effect caused by beta-alanine is understood.  The strong 'pins-n-needles' effect makes would-be steroid users think that their protein supplements are really "working".  (Proving that you never go broke by underestimating the intelligence of your customers!) You're not the first person here on OH who got the wrong kind of "buzz" after trying a protein shot that contains beta-alanine.  /Steve

Interesting post, Steve. I didn't realize how complex the science of protein supplements can be. What's your thoughts regarding the quality of vitamins, protein, etc. you can get at say, Wal-Mart vs. a more expensive brand at GNC, Vitamin Cottage, etc. Are the extra $$$ worth it, generally speaking? Thanks Terry  

Generally speaking, just about any vitamin/mineral supplement purchased from a reputable source (Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, etc.) should be just fine.   You don't think that  these retailers all have their own vitamin manufactories, do you?   All of these preparations come from the same handful of supplement manufacturers. What you might find in some brand-names are other qualities that may make the product more preferable.  For example, I'm taking a Calcium Citrate+D supplement from RiteAid.  It's a fine supplement, and cheaper than Citracal+D, but the RiteAid tablets are ever so slightly larger and harder to swallow compared to Citracal.  Not enough to make me stop using them, but when I run out, I may hunt around for another brand. I think the same phenomenon is true for protein supplements.  Learn about the differences between isolates and concentrates.  But if a protein powder from a reputable source contains "whey protein isolate", there isn't going to be all that much difference between manufacturers, EXCEPT in matters of taste and palatability, and this can vary widely between different brands and different people. /Steve

Thanks, Steve. They may not have their own vitiamin mnfg. plant but If any company can figure out a way to lower vitamin quality, improve profits and have no-one be the wiser, Wal-Mart could. That said, I still buy their vitamins since my labs have been fine taking them which is afterall, the tale of the tape so to speak.  Boner   

Now wait a min, Scottie .    What's wrong with Profect?   I tried samples of it at the Dallas event  --  it tasted great and goes down short and sweet (the colored stuff in the funky, phallus-shaped, go-anywhere vials), and is bio-chemically engineered to be highly-absorbable protein  .. I came away convinced it was the best thing going out there for a protein supplement, and was going to give it glowing raves to new post-ops  ..   Are you saying the co. is misreperesenting something?    

There is no tryptophan, an essential amino acid, in ProFect or New Whey. Unjury rightly calls them out on it.

If you're looking for a liquid that does have all the amino acids you'll need you need to go with the Pro-Stat, which is still collagen based but they do go through the effort of adding the missing amino acids. Of course Unjury will still say they are incomplete even if it's a lie

Also, if you love the ProFect stuff it's not unworkable, but you need to pair it with another protein to supply the missing aminos.

That's how vegetarian's get by. You'd think by talking to some folks that they should all be dead without whey protein, but they make the incomplete proteins work through pairing. Here's a page that has some common pairings.

http://www.weightlossforall.com/protein%20combinations.htm

If you want to continue with those protein bullets you need to figure out how to get some tryptophan in with them, might be easier said than done.