Well, I am tempted to go off-subject again because I always think there is another onion layer to peel away, especially when confronting difficult cases like what you are going through right now. Straight up, though, I have to say I am surprised that you are following your weight-lifting sessions with whey protein powder alone, because I wasn't expecting that to be a problem at all. It made me re-think my general opinion that protein after exercise is a good thing. I still think it is, but there may be a round-about connection when your body reacts to the next meals. You otherwise didn't mention any dietary interventions like caloric restriction, fat restriction, carb restriction, etc. A scoop of whey protein after vigorous exercise is supposed to be a good thing. I will say that brands are important, and there is a lot of opinion in weight-lifting circles about that. The type of filtering, heat used in processing, isolate vs. concentrate, etc., are points of passionate discussion. Personally, after trying the lower cost products and reading the labels, I switched to Jarrow because it has less junk in it and I trust the brand. Beyond that, I am wondering if there could be an effect caused by the artificial sweeteners in the BF product. Almost all of the wheys out there are artificially sweetened, because they don't want to defeat the other purpose most have in mind when supplementing with whey after workouts, which is also carb-restriction. More and more, though, there seems to be some evidence that the body at least begins to react to artificial sweeteners the same way it responds to actual sugar. It may be a psycho-somatic response, but it seems to be there (BTW, this applies to Stevia or anything else that tastes sweet, regardless of other pros and cons). Ever notice that people who drink a lot of diet beverages tend to retain weight?
My whole reason for digression here is the effect of glycemic load on bone calcium, which is what we are trying to talk about (I think). The general process is that a blood sugar rise (and in my opinion, based on various current hypotheses not adequately tested), or the expectation of a rise in blood glucose level after eating, calcium is released from bones in order to buffer the resulting acid imbalance caused by digesting sugars. What I am saying is that although the dose of BF is actually lean, there could be some reaction to the taste of sugar. I just have trouble believing that so small a dose could have such a profound effect, unless there are other aspects of your diet that might intensify the response from your body to this treat after vigorous exertion. OK, you asked for an opinion, and there it is, if there is going to be a tie-in at all.
Further off the subject, there may be other reactions to the intake of calcium with or without vitamin D that could come into play. It is interesting to note that several studies have indicated no improvements in bone density after calcium supplementation, even with supporting co-factors. As I mentioned earlier, your exercise turns out to be a more effective catalyst for bone mineralization than the presence of the raw material alone. Moreover, there are indications that calcium consumption (or perhaps more correctly, absorption) often does more harm than good, since unneeded calcium must be eliminated by the body, leading to the formation of "stones" and storage of calcium in various organs and tissues of the body, including the cardiovascular system, not excluding the heart itself. Remember how eggs were good for us, then bad for us, then good for us again? Calcium is on the roller-coaster now.
As I alluded to earlier, there is a very good chance that dietary interventions, whether prescribed or self-modulated, may have some impact on hormone levels, which in turn are hammering your bone matrix. Bone is so incredibly complicated the reasons for its lack of health are often a step or more ahead of our best intentions and treatments. When I mentioned some of the popular "bone density meds," I was talking about more than crystal formation. The bisphosphonate drugs retard the breakdown of old bone in order to preserve more dense bone, but the irony is that healthy bone only contains a small percentage of old bone. The majority is middle-aged and there should be about the same amount of new as old. When there isn't enough new, the old is a poor replacement, taking on more of the characteristics of porcelain. Any minerologist can tell you that crystalline structures are often in flux, continuing to define themselves until they are easily fractured along molecular borders. This occurs even in metals, which is why structures need to be periodically replaced. Bone is designed to continually reinvent itself, based on an intertwined collagen matrix into which mineral salts are laid to add hardness. Left unchanged too long, it becomes brittle. But that's only part of the story, since we draw on this rich mineral reserve constantly in order to balance blood chemistry. Another problem with too much calcium is that it can be used to armor pathogens, and it can bond with other metals that need to be eliminated from the system. This won't happen if it deposits into tissues, as it often does. The reasons for this are of course more complex than intake.
When I spoke of timing of meals, I mentioned it because when we eat often has a greater effect than what we eat. How and when things are metabolized occupies vital organs that are involved in other things such as hormone production. Eating too close to bed time, particularly of carbohydrates, can throw off the night-time production of critical hormones that affect recovery, and might have an effect on what you are going through. One thing that occurred to me when you mentioned the whey, is the question: if you are not getting your carbs then, when are you finally succumbing to the need for carbs, without which you will starve? I agree that right after a workout may not be the best time for them, for the thermogenic and hormonal effects, but late in the day is definitely not the time. My guess is you already know this, so the mystery continues. Hopefully the docs will examine whether or not, like many people who are exercising for health, you are on the verge of insulin resistance, and the complications in calcium distribution that can cause.
Message was edited by: JamesJohnsonLMT
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