Question:
What kinds of Protien Can We Absorb? Or does it matter??

Hi! I've gotten some conflicting advice and am confused. I have been drinking some of the shakes for protein and also eating the Detour bar. Then someone told me that we (rny'ers) can't absorb the protien in the bars, cookies, or protien snacks, we can only absorb "pre-digested" protien such as what is found in the shakes. Is this true? My next DR. appointment isn't until the middle of July, and I wanted to know before then. So what's the verdict? Can we absorb the protien in the bars or only the protien in the shakes? Thanks so much for your help!    — nehdeh (posted on June 30, 2003)

June 30, 2003
I am not a doctor but I don't believe this is true. While it is true that the pre-digested stuff is easier for us to absorb, it doesn't matterwhat kind you eat. It all passes thru the same area. If you can digest the food it is in, then you are absorbing some of it.
   — Delores S.

June 30, 2003
I think it depends on how much intestine was bypassed. I am a proximal and my dr specifically told me that I would lose weight almost exclusively thru "restriction" or limiting the amount I eat. A distal bypass patient will lose through both "restriction" AND "malabsorption" or not absorbing all the nutrients that they eat. So, while distal patients may be limited in the types of foods they can absorb, proximal patients will absorb more quantity and more types just because there is more intestine for the food to go thru. Make sense? That said, I do not believe that I have complete absorption just like I would if I had my stomach in the loop, so I overestimate a bit on my protein: I should eat 80 grams or so a day and I aim for 100. Just in case. ;)
   — ctyst

June 30, 2003
This is a good question, and one for which I haven't seen any study done at all (though I've seen tons and tons of opinions, some of which may be derived from certain manufacturers' claims -- consider the source there). I have seen the assertion that the most absorbable protein is whey protein in a protein shake, as it's the most bioavailable of proteins, *but* that doesn't mean you're not absorbing protein from soy, or from foods, or from protein bars or protein cookies (though your absorption rate may different among those things). I've also heard we absorb more protein from animal protein than we do from soy. The difference in absorption among these things could be negligible in some folks, and as Cheri points out, then there's the question of whether you're proximal or distal (and those are defined differently by different docs).<P>As a proximal RNY (75 cm. bypassed), my solution (so far) is to use protein shakes and protein foods and even protein cookies. I don't use protein bars because they just don't happen to be my cup of tea, tastewise, otherwise, I'd do those too just to cover my bases! I get over 120 grams of protein a day, and at 13 months out, my labs still show me to be in the low normal range for protein (which is where I was a pre-op, too, when life was an ongoing Festival 'O' Carbs). If I wasn't consciously taking in lots of protein, I guess I'd be in trouble by now. I'm just going to keep watching my labs over time (get copies from your doc and look at the levels -- don't just accept the verbal statement that they're "normal" -- look for trends!), and try and figure out what works for me in the long run.<P>If you consume lots of different proteins from different souces, you will probably cover your bases pretty well. Labs and time will tell. JMHWAG (just my humble wild-***ed guess!).
   — Suzy C.

June 30, 2003
I am still a pre-op, but have done SO much research,and also subscribe as a non-posting member to a "graduate" list of wls patients who are a year or more post-op. There is much talk about this subject, and it has always been stated that you'll absorb a much higher percentage of the protein from one of the pre-digested shakes than you would from say a piece of meat with the same number of grams of protein. That's a big deal and something I think we should always keep in mind, as getting enough protein is so important!
   — Jiminy