Whey isolate and blood glucose

BanditNOLIMIT

BanditNOLIMIT

Well-known member
Trusted Member
Hey guys,

I’ve been monitoring and collecting a lot of data when it comes to my blood glucose response to various foods. I’ve noticed that whey isolate in particular is spiking me higher & more prolonged compared to other protein sources. And just to clarify, these are comparing readings from protein/veg meals. Only trace carbs in these meals.

That being said, has anyone else noticed this, and if so have you experimented with various brands/protein products and found that some cause less of a spike than others?

I know this is pretty niche but I figured someone else might have some insight.
 
Interesting because a lot of times they use ( good for blood sugar control) as a selling point. I'd guess it's just because of how quick it's digested maybe. How are you tracking just with a finger prick or a cgm?
 
Bigbear said:
Interesting because a lot of times they use ( good for blood sugar control) as a selling point. I'd guess it's just because of how quick it's digested maybe. How are you tracking just with a finger prick or a cgm?
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Finger prick.
Generally 2-3 hours after a meat + veg meal my BG is back down to 4.4-4.8. With a shake & veg I’m noticing I’m still up 5.4-5.8. I know those numbers aren’t concerning by any means, just an observation. Might be something to consider when more carbs are introduced back into my plan.
 
BanditNOLIMIT said:
Finger prick.
Generally 2-3 hours after a meat + veg meal my BG is back down to 4.4-4.8. With a shake & veg I’m noticing I’m still up 5.4-5.8. I know those numbers aren’t concerning by any means, just an observation. Might be something to consider when more carbs are introduced back into my plan.
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just spit balling an idea here with no basis, would the fast digesting protein possibly take some of the mitochondrial ATP away from glucose digestion/absorption causing your body to hold/digest the glucose over a longer period of time?
again, just a thought experiment no factual backing
 
Trenbolone&Cheese said:
just spit balling an idea here with no basis, would the fast digesting protein possibly take some of the mitochondrial ATP away from glucose digestion/absorption causing your body to hold/digest the glucose over a longer period of time?
again, just a thought experiment no factual backing
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I’m gonna have to look in to this to better understand what you’re referring to because it went right over my head haha.
 
I don’t use powder anymore. I get really hot about 30 minutes after injesting and feel weird a not a good felling weird.

I stick to whole food now.
 
This might be an oversight, but what is the sugar/carb level of the shake? I know that some of the mass gainer shakes are loaded with carbs and or sugar.
I have a BGM and used it losts on cycle and didn't notice any change with a shake. Definitely noticed a spike even to the next day with certain foods but nothing surrounding shakes.
 
Mano said:
This might be an oversight, but what is the sugar/carb level of the shake? I know that some of the mass gainer shakes are loaded with carbs and or sugar.
I have a BGM and used it losts on cycle and didn't notice any change with a shake. Definitely noticed a spike even to the next day with certain foods but nothing surrounding shakes.
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I believe it’s 1g of carbs/sugar per serving. It’s a true whey isolate and not a mass gainer👍
 
excess protein does convert into glucose/carbs. Reason why it’s spiking and not your other meals is because of the fats. Fats keep the blood sugar stable and doesn’t spike insulin. So if you had your isolate with fats you should have the same results as any of your other meals.
At least that is my understanding from listening to smarter people. That’s why for quick digestion you usually avoid fats in the meal. Also why we take intra carbs with no fats.
 
Dream_catcher said:
excess protein does convert into glucose/carbs. Reason why it’s spiking and not your other meals is because of the fats. Fats keep the blood sugar stable and doesn’t spike insulin. So if you had your isolate with fats you should have the same results as any of your other meals.
At least that is my understanding from listening to smarter people. That’s why for quick digestion you usually avoid fats in the meal. Also why we take intra carbs with no fats.
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I did add in another response that there is also 5g of (added) fat to in all of these meals I’m referring to. There is 1 whole egg included in this whey isolate meal. I do believe the meat/veg meals may have a bit more fat in them due to the trace fats in the meat however. That could be the difference maker.
 
BanditNOLIMIT said:
I did add in another response that there is also 5g of (added) fat to in all of these meals I’m referring to. There is 1 whole egg included in this whey isolate meal. I do believe the meat/veg meals may have a bit more fat in them due to the trace fats in the meat however. That could be the difference maker.
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If you’re not wanting that desired affect you could just swap out the isolate to an egg white meal or something else equivalent in macros.

Another factor could also be meat and veg is not gonna digest nearly as quick as an isolate since it’s already processed/partially digested so maybe in comparison the spike is similar. Just seeing it sooner cause whey digests so quick.
 
Dream_catcher said:
If you’re not wanting that desired affect you could just swap out the isolate to an egg white meal or something else equivalent in macros.

Another factor could also be meat and veg is not gonna digest nearly as quick as an isolate since it’s already processed/partially digested so maybe in comparison the spike is similar. Just seeing it sooner cause whey digests so quick.
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this is what I’m thinking I’ll do moving into the rebound. Pull the isolate and move to whole food instead. I’m gonna stick with the isolate in the meantime, not really the time to be changing any variables
 
I can't comment on the difference in levels but it is well known that whey will spike them. Well to be fair it is well known in certain circles but hardly ever talked about. I can't comment on the mechanism either, frankly I forget. I did read a good explanation once but just accepted it and moved on.
I believe there is a pretty good arguement for it being part of the reason that a whey shake is an effective post workout addition for hypertrophy. If you accept that arguement it's another in the long list of things that the old guard turned out to be correct about. All depends on yer goals and personal response of course.
 
I had a similar issue with whey isolate spiking my blood sugar, especially first thing in the morning. What helped me was switching to goat protein powder. It seems to digest easier and doesn’t give me the same glucose jump. Also, adding some fats like almond butter or a bit of heavy cream helped slow down absorption when I stuck with whey. Might be worth testing different options to see what works for you.
 
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This popped up at the right time for me. I had no idea why my blood sugar was so high 2 night ago 3 hours after my meal.
I had a whey isolate shake [diesel] maybe 30 minutes prior to my test but I figured not way it was that it says only 1g sugar.
NOW I KNOW, and I'm much less worried 😌
 
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