Question:
can protein drinks cause diarrhea

I tried a new protein drink, muscletech, which had 40 grams of protein, no sugars or carbs. I also had a few bites of scrambled egg and sausage patti. I've had eggs before with no problem. Would the protein drink be the cause for diarrhea?    — David F. (posted on July 25, 2003)

July 25, 2003
What was the drink sweetened with? Some sugar alcohols can cause problems. Or, if you mixed it with milk, sometimes people become lactose intolerant. Or, you never know, you may just have caught a bug going around . . .
   — ctyst

July 25, 2003
YES! specially if they are sweetened with artifical sugars.
   — janetc00

July 25, 2003
it could be the greese in the sausage patty, your new tummy may not be use to the greese, and like one poster mentioned, the sugar amount may be to high for you, and that would also contribe.
   — cindy

July 25, 2003
It could have been any one of those things(sausage really hits me hard) but yes I have had diarrhea from protein drinks before. I drank RealMeals twice a day for months but then my tummy turned on me. Other kinds have done the same so I have all but given up on the protein drinks. Thats a shame too, I really lost a lot a weight when I was drinking them daily but I've slowed to a trickle. Maybe wait a week or two and try again. Good luck to you. ~Sidney~ Open RNY 10-23-02 down 100+ and counting
   — Siddy I.

July 25, 2003
I agree with Cindy. I see your only about 3 weeks post op and eating sausage. I would lay off of that until things settled down with your new tummy, like 6-8 weeks post op. That could be the problem. I had diarrhea for the first 3 weeks post-op until I got onto soft foods off of liquids only, for me, it was just my bodys reaction to all the liquids. I thought it was my protein shake as well.
   — SMG I.

July 25, 2003
David, I agree with others, I wouldn't be eating sausage at 3 wks postop, but, I drink Isopure Zero Carb (0 sugar & 40g of protein) and used to never had a problem with them. No, after 11 mos, I now have instant diarreha after drinking them, although thwy are aspartheme free, who knows. Good Luck to you. Heather Open 8/15/02 305/187/150.
   — heathercross

July 25, 2003
Hi there, David! I agree that it very well may have been the sausage. I am 10 months post and still can't handle them very well. But if your protein drink has soy in it, it could also be that. I had switched to a soy based protein, instead of whey, and was sick everytime I drank it... took a while before I figured it out. Hope it works out well. Vi. open RNY 9/23/02 down 149 lbs.
   — Vi F.