Bulking up muscle is the latest fitness trend especially among young men and teenagers . Peer pressure at its best, muscle mass is often used as a measure of athletic performance and personal excellence. Young achievers aim at improving their PB (personal best). Muscle bulking is achieved with routine repetitive exercise and diet.2 This is easily achievable in young adults, yet the exercise involves a lot of determination and hard work. Dietary supplements have proven to hasten the process of adding muscle when coupled with appropriate exercise. Protein supplements top the list with Whey being the most efficient and popularly marketed amino acid.1 Amino acids are the building block from which the body uses to create muscles and other organs in the body. Whey is found naturally in yoghurt and other proteinaceous foods. It is a group of 8 proteins. Whey Isolate is a fat and lactose reduced version of Whey which is a much more absorbable. It’s a quick digestible protein boost. Both organic natural Whey Powder and the more popular Whey Isolate are available in the market. If you are looking to build your muscle, then this sounds like the best option. Unfortunately, it comes with its downside. Whey alone does not provide other nutrients that are necessary for a healthy lifestyle and this on its own is a risk for someone who decides to solely depend on Whey especially Whey Isolate and build muscles. 3 Too much of something is poisonous and so too much of concentrated whey is bad news for your liver. The liver is the organ in your body that is responsible for converting the amino acids (the building blocks) into blocks that can now be used to construct muscles. 5 When there is an excess of amino acids, the liver resolves to destroy the excess. While doing this, the liver gets overwhelmed and eventually gets damaged. 4 The liver is not the only casualty. The kidney is the organ that is responsible for getting rid of waste in the blood. Remember the excess amino acids the liver was handling? They are termed as waste and once they get to the kidney, it gets overwhelmed as well. There is decreased urine production which means more waste is retained within the body. Yeah, you guessed right, that is not good news. 6 Sports research mainly discusses adults and not under 18yr olds so there is limited information on any furthur threat to a developing adolescent body. If one decides to bulk up there are multiple natural options available to support the muscle growth. A more balanced comprehensive approach will have long-term benefits. Protein shakes come in many varieties and due diligence is essential as the market is not well regulated. If there is a need or a dependency on protein shakes of high concentration, it is best that a Nutritionist and Doctor are overseeing the process. Getting in shape is a good lifestyle choice. Doing it in a well-informed manner is a wise choice. 1. DEVRIES MC, PHILLIPS SM. Supplemental Protein in Support of Muscle Mass And Health: advantage whey. J Food Sci. n.1, p. A8-A15, Mar 2015 2. TIPTON KD, FERRANDO AA. Improving Muscle Mass: response of muscle metabolism to exercise, nutrition and anabolic agents. Essays Biochem. p.85-98, 2008 3. SAMAL JRK, SAMAL IR. Protein Supplements: Pros and Cons. J Diet Suppl. n.3, p.365-371, May 2018 4. VASCONCELOS QDJS, BACHUR TPR, ARAGÃO GF. Whey Protein Supplementation and Its Potentially Adverse Effects on Health: a systematic review. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. n.1, p.27-33, Jan 2021 5. GÜRGEN SG, YÜCEL AT, KARAKUŞ AÇ, ÇEÇEN D, ÖZEN G, KOÇTÜRK S. Usage of Whey Protein May Cause Liver Damage Via Inflammatory and Apoptotic Responses. Hum Exp Toxicol. n.7, p. 769-79, Jul 2015 6. APARICIO VA, NEBOT E, PORRES JM, ORTEGA FB, HEREDIA JM, LÓPEZ-JURADO M, RAMÍREZ PA. Effects of High-Whey-Protein Intake And Resistance Training On Renal, Bone And Metabolic Parameters In Rats. Br J Nutr. n.1, p. 836-45, Mar 2011 Mar
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