| One question that has popped up a few times in my email ‘in box’ relates
to the issue of hormones in whey protein supplements. Are there hormones in your
whey? It’s not a simple “yes” or “no” answer I am sorry to say, but the short
answer is, people have nothing to fear.
Being an animal based product derived from milk, whey, like any animal based
product, could potentially contain some naturally occurring hormone(s). The
issue is, which hormone and in what amounts? Modern testing abilities being as
sensitive as they are today, being able to search for things in parts per
million (ppm), parts per billion (ppb) or even parts per trillion (ppt) in some
cases, some hormone of some kind can be found in virtually anything we humans
ingest, especially if it is derived from an animal source (though plants also
often contain some naturally occurring hormones or hormone-like compounds).
So what’s the scoop on whey? The major concern seems to revolve around:
- Steroid based sex hormones (e.g., testosterone, etc.)
- Growth hormones and or growth factors (e.g., IGF-1, bovine growth hormone
or bovine somatotropin, etc)
- Non-hormonal compounds such as anti biotic contamination.
I will attempt to address those in particular to clear up any fears or
confusion over the matter.
Are there any steroids in your whey?
Steroid hormones being highly lipophilic (soluble in fat) will be found in the
lipid (fat) portion of whey, or any milk based product for that matter. Any high
grade whey isolate (WPI) is essentially fat free (read my article “The Whey it
is” to understand the differences in the types and quality of whey proteins in
back issues of Muscular Development or at my web site at:
http://www.brinkzone.com/wheyitis.html).
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For example, CFM? isolate contains less than one tenth of one gram of actual
dairy fat per 20 gram (20,000 milligrams) serving, which is approximately one
standard scoop found in most products. The additional fat listed on the can of
most whey isolate products generally comes from the addition of small amounts of
lecithin, which is not an animal based lipid, and or the flavoring system being
employed. An ion exchange whey - though not an optimal whey protein in my
opinion as explained in “The Whey it is - will contain even less fat.
So, the reality is sex hormone levels in the lipid portion of milk fat and or
fat in whey is so low as to be either non -testable or virtually non testable.
Add to that fact that whey isolates are virtually fat free, and it’s easy to see
this is a non-issue.
Are there any growth hormones in your whey?
As for growth hormone(s) such as bovine somatotropin (BST) and IGF-1, etc.,
that’s a bit more complicated. Growth factor hormones (e.g., BST, IGF-1, etc.)
are protein based hormones (versus steroid based hormones discussed in the
previous section) and thus, can be found in the protein fraction of animal based
products, such as muscle, milk, etc. However, we will keep the discussion of
these hormones specific to whey as that’s what this article is about right?
Milk, and thus whey protein, does contain minute amount of BST.
BST is simply the bovine (cow) form of growth hormone cows produce naturally.
In humans, it’s called Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which is produced in the
pituitary gland and is also a popular anti aging drug many people are using to
fight the effects of aging.
However, and this is the essential point, BST is not found in higher levels
then would be found if the animals were not treated with BST. That is, whether
they treat the animals with BST or not, they find the BST levels in milk to be
found in minute amounts and in the normal “background” levels. What are the
levels of BST found in milk? It ranges from approximately zero – ten parts per
billion (PPB) and typical level found in milk is 3ppb. That translates into
approximately 1 mcg (one millionth of a gram) per liter. That ladies and gents
is what we call a truly miniscule amount.
To add to the above, protein based hormones such as BST-naturally occurring
or otherwise - are quite delicate and digestion of these proteins means they are
destroyed when ingested. To sum up, I consider the risk from BST to be again, a
non-issue. Don’t forget, the issue has been looked at extensively by the
scientific community.
For example:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) looking at this issue stated "The
composition and nutritional values of milk from bST-supplemented cows is
essentially the same as milk from untreated cows... (M)eat and milk from rbST-treated
cows are as safe as that from untreated cows." (NIH Technology Assessment
Conference Statement on Bovine somatotropin. JAMA. 1991:265:1423-1425).
- The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) said on the issue
"The FDA has answered all questions and concerns about the safety of milk from
bST-supplemented cows..." (JAMA. 1990:264:1003-1005).
- The journal Science stated "The data evaluated by the FDA documented the
safety of food products from animals treated with rbGH." (Bovine Growth
Hormone: Human Food Safety Evaluation. Science. 1990:249:875-884.).
Yes folks, no matter what hysterical issues some people have tried to raise
with BST, the data and the facts simply does not support the hysteria. It’s a
non-issue to human health. However, and it should be noted, that may not be the
case for the cows themselves, just as large amounts of HGH can be problematic
for humans, and that issue is currently being evaluated.
They may stop giving cows BST due to the health issues it presents to cows,
but not due to any health issues to humans. So read my lips here gang, it won’t
matter if the milk is taken from “organic” non BST treated cows or not, the BST
levels appear to remain the same and are (a) found in miniscule amounts and (b)
in all probability are destroyed during digestion. Yes, there can differences in
the amounts of some compounds (pesticide for example) between some organic foods
(e.g., fruits and vegetables) and non-organic foods, but BST simply is not one
of them.
As for Insulin-like growth factor one (IGF-1) that’s more interesting and
relevant, though it still appears to be a non issue to human health. Different
whey product will have varying levels of IGF-1 depending on many variables such
as: whether it’s a concentrate (WPC) or an Isolate (WPI), how it’s produced, and
even what time of the year the milk is taken from the cows, and so on. So, I
can’t give the levels for every form and type of whey (see aforementioned
article above “The Whey it is” to understand different types of whey).
As an example (cause I have the numbers handy on my desk and it’s the form of
whey I personally use!), CFM? isolates have approximately 35 micrograms (mcg) of
IGF per 100g of powder (recall standard scoop is 20g). Remember, we are not
talking gram amounts here but micrograms, which is one millionth of a gram! 35
micrograms could not even be seen by the human eye. Could there be any negative
physiological effects to consuming this amount of IGF-1?
Add to the reality how unstable and sensitive to digestion protein based
hormones are, it’s highly unlikely. Being a well-known anabolic/anti catabolic
hormone, I bet most bodybuilders wished the levels of IGF-1 in whey where much
higher!
{Side note: there is a whey product known as Bioactive Whey Fraction (BAWF)
protein that has bumped up levels of IGF-1 and other growth factors that should
be on the market shortly. Read “The Whey it is” for more info on that if
interested.}
Recall that IGF-1 was made a bit of a boogieman hormone when a link
(correlation) was found between IGF-1 levels and prostate cancer. However, that
association was not found in later studies and any cause and effect relationship
between the two is fuzzy at best, and even contradictory according to some
studies.
For example, some doctors find that PSA levels (used as a predictor of
prostate cancer) often drops when giving older men growth hormone (which
increase IGF-1 levels) which is not what one would expect to find if IGF-1 was a
cause of prostate cancer nor is IGF-1 levels correlated to PSA levels.
Of course being a growth factor, able stimulate cell division and cell
differentiation, it has been theorized that like other growth factors (e.g., GH,
epidermal, transforming, platelet derived, fibroblast, nerve, and ciliary
neurotrophic growth factors and others) IGF-1 could stimulate the growth of some
cancers.
This is far from proven however and far far more complicated then it appears
on the surface. For example, IGF-1 levels, as well as GH, are intimately
connected the immune system, and have a wide range of essential effects on the
body, such as keeping bodyfat levels low and muscle mass levels up, bone
formation, and 1000 other effects. So, painting IGF-1 as a bad guy hormone is
both unscientific and simply incorrect.
Would a person with a hormone dependent liver cancer want to inject (versus
eat) large amounts of IGF-1 or GH? Probably not, but even that is unclear at
this time. Let’s not forget the incidence of prostate cancer increases with age
in men but blood levels of IGF-1 and GH decline significantly with age. The
etiology of prostate cancer is a highly complex, and not fully understood
interaction between diet, genetics, an inflammatory process, and hormones such
as testosterone, DHT, estradiol, and other physiological variables and hormones
both known and yet unknown.
The bottom line here is, microgram amounts of IGF-1 found in whey poses
minimal (because no thing on earth we eat poses zero risk!) to a non-existent
risk, and may even help us in some ways. For example, IGF-1 has been shown to
improve some gastrointestinal diseases and pathology, reduces muscle loss during
certain disease states and other beneficial effects.
It’s also essential to remember from the many articles that have been
published on whey (written predominantly by yours truly) that whey has been
studied extensively for it’s effects on cancer specifically, and across the
board has been found to prevent various forms of cancer in animals (with human
data strongly suggesting the same effects in people), improve immunity, and
other positive effects, such as possibly improve performance and treat over
training syndrome (OTS) in athletes.
Thus, it’s clear any increased risks from ingesting miniscule amounts of
IGF-1 found in whey–if there are any at all–are offset by the many positive
health effects of this well studied protein.
Are there any anti biotics in whey?
Finally, we can address the possibility of any contamination from the anti-biotics
given to the cows that may find it’s way into the milk and then the whey.
Several studies have found that in a small number of cases anti-biotic residues
could be detected in commercial milk. This has caused some people to use organic
non-treated milk. Having done extensive consulting work in the whey industry, I
can tell you all major manufacturers of whey protein powders test constantly for
anti biotic residues, as the milk industry in general does.
The major whey manufacturers I have worked with test every single batch of
incoming milk for anti-biotic residues and reject any batch that finds any
amount, no matter how small. Only milk that gets an ND (non detectable) stamp of
approval after testing is used to produce the whey.
Thus, there are no anti biotic residues in your whey supplements. I can’t
personally vouch for all whey manufacturers as I have not done consulting work
for all whey manufacturers, but the handful I have worked with had an extreme
level of quality control over the issue, and I have no reason to suspect other
companies are not just as anal about it.
Conclusion
I hope the above clears up any fears or confusion regarding questions people may
have had regarding whey. Considering how much research is out there on whey and
its many positive effects on such a wide range of things, such as immunity,
possibly preventing some cancers, improving performance, etc., I know whey will
remain a staple part of my diet for many years to come. It’s off to blend up
some whey for me!
About the Author - William D. Brink
Will Brink is a columnist, contributing consultant, and
writer for various health/fitness, medical, and bodybuilding publications. His
articles relating to nutrition, supplements, weight loss, exercise and medicine
can be found in such publications as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag
International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate,
Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s
World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.
He is the author of Priming The Anabolic Environment ,
Body Building Revealed & Fat Loss Revealed. He is the Consulting Sports
Nutrition Editor and a monthly columnist for Physical magazine, Musclemag and an
Editor at Large for Power magazine. Will graduated from Harvard University with
a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major
supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.
He has been co author of several studies relating to
sports nutrition and health found in peer reviewed academic journals, as well as
having commentary published in JAMA. He runs the highly popular web site
BrinkZone.com which is strategically positioned to fulfill the needs and
interests of people with diverse backgrounds and knowledge. The BrinkZone site
has a following with many sports nutrition enthusiasts, athletes, fitness
professionals, scientists, medical doctors, nutritionists, and interested lay
people. William has been invited to lecture on the benefits of weight training
and nutrition at conventions and symposiums around the U.S. and Canada, and has
appeared on numerous radio and television programs.
William has worked with athletes ranging from
professional bodybuilders, golfers, fitness contestants, to police and military
personnel.
See Will's ebooks online here:
Brink's BodyBuilding Revealed
 "Bodybuilding
Revealed is a complete blue print to muscle building success. Everything you
need to know about diet & muscle building nutrition, over 50 bodybuilding
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Fat
Loss Revealed
 "Fat
Loss Revealed is the ultimate fat loss manual. A complete online and offline
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Christian Bodybuilding?
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