Protein hype: shoppers flushing money down the toilet, say experts

Posted 28 December 2016

USN, Evox and other ‘sport-supplement’ sellers, have been making a range of unsubstantiated claims for high protein products, e.g., “100% Whey protein”. These vary from claiming to build muscle, make you bulk up, and “USN’s new 100% Whey Protein Plus provides the highest quality protein per serving for rapid uptake and its conversion into amino acids and muscle mass by your body” and “maximises muscle recovery & development”. CamCheck has constantly pointed out that these claims are unproven and rubbish (USN/Albe Geldenhuys is suing Dr Harris Steinman for R2 million for pointing out the falseness of his/their claims, among other, these).

An article published in The Guardian now also weighs in on this issue.

Some extracts:

“Consumers fuelling demand for high-protein products unlikely to see any benefits as people already eat more protein than they need, say dietitians. Experts have warned that consumers, particularly gym-goers, are falling victim to clever marketing”.

“Public Health England (PHE) guidelines suggest a protein intake for 19- to 64-year-olds of 55.5g for men and 45g for women, although experts say this will vary according to weight (the US Institute of Medicine stipulates a minimum of 0.8g per kg of body weight per day).”

“Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London, said people were being taken in by “nutri-babble”. “There’s been a lot of hype in gyms pushing high-protein shakes, there’s also a need to get rid of a waste product from the dairy industry, which is whey protein,” he said. “It’s a lot of crap, a way of selling a cheap product at a high price.””

Read the full article at The Guardian

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