Is there a whey protein powder that doesn't contain Arginine?

[poundpacker]

Is there a whey protein powder that does not contain Arginine? Over ten years ago I had Mono, and ever since then I have had problems with viral infections (including one viral infection that left me with permanent hearing damage). Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe a side effect of Arginine can be a reoccurrence of previous viral infections. It seems like most whey protein shakes I have looked at contain Arginine. Is there a brand that does not contain Arginine? Any of the GNC products? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[pu12en12g]

Taking arginine as a supplement is different than taking it in protein powder. You should be fine.

The studies you were referring to, caution taking it in it's "l-arginine" free form (supplementing it seperately).

[heavy hitter 2]

mono sucks. i got mon about 3 years ago and i swear i nearly died. i weighed 140 pounds at 6 foot at the time. after 3 weeks of having mono and not being able to eat or drink anyhting, i weighed 104 pounds. i had to go in every day for a week to have iv's. crappiest disease i have ever had

[offroad]

Originally posted by poundpacker
Is there a whey protein powder that does not contain Arginine? Over ten years ago I had Mono, and ever since then I have had problems with viral infections (including one viral infection that left me with permanent hearing damage). Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe a side effect of Arginine can be a reoccurrence of previous viral infections. It seems like most whey protein shakes I have looked at contain Arginine. Is there a brand that does not contain Arginine? Any of the GNC products? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

i never new about this side, would a sinus infection be included in the mix>?

[pogue]

arginine can increase viral activity for some reason. but deprieving yourself of it is not the best way to avoid problems.

[offroad]

Originally posted by pogue
arginine can increase viral activity for some reason. but deprieving yourself of it is not the best way to avoid problems.

thats annoying, now im gonna be paranoid while taking my 10 grams of arginine. i HATE getting sick more then anything

[pogue]

Originally posted by offroad
thats annoying, now im gonna be paranoid while taking my 10 grams of arginine. i HATE getting sick more then anything

Unless you have a preexisting virus like mono, herpes, or shingles then you have nothing to worry about.

[AWILD]

Now that this is mentioned, I haven't been able to put my finger on it for about 8 months. But I have had an increase in ear infections and sinus infections (about 3 each) ever since I started taking in NOW l-arginine at about 2g a day.

I originally thought that I was overtraining because it seems that I get sick every time I start getting hardcore in the weight room. I thought my CNS was breaking down. But now the more that I think about it, it may possibly be that when I get super pumped for the gym I dose about 2g of l-arginine.

Very interesting...in fact interesting enough to stop taking NOW.

[offroad]

Originally posted by AWILD
Now that this is mentioned, I haven't been able to put my finger on it for about 8 months. But I have had an increase in ear infections and sinus infections (about 3 each) ever since I started taking in NOW l-arginine at about 2g a day.

I originally thought that I was overtraining because it seems that I get sick every time I start getting hardcore in the weight room. I thought my CNS was breaking down. But now the more that I think about it, it may possibly be that when I get super pumped for the gym I dose about 2g of l-arginine.

Very interesting...in fact interesting enough to stop taking NOW.

Well, i seriously doubt that 2gs a day will have any effect at all dood., i take like 10gs a day and i barely feel any sides at all. I really think your sinus is from overtraining. Stop working out entirely till it completely passes then start again. I had the same problem last year (serious ear/sinus infections) from overtraining and it seriously sucked, but i got past it. What are your symptoms btw of the ear/sinus thingy?

[offroad]

Originally posted by pogue
Unless you have a preexisting virus like mono, herpes, or shingles then you have nothing to worry about.

alright thats a relief, but ive definetly lost interest now in having unprotected sex with girls that have herpes..damn you!

[AWILD]

Originally posted by offroad
What are your symptoms btw of the ear/sinus thingy?

Ear congestion/infection/crackling and hollow feeling
Nasal drainage/congestion
Brown, green, neon orange, and some blood in mucus
Mucus filled coughs

As a child I had many ear infections which slowed drastically after puberty. Honestly I dont feel this is due to overtraining because I only lift 3 times a week, no more, no less. I am in and out in just over an hours time every time. I do no cardio at this point.

Looking back at things, a couple of people in my apt complex were sick two weeks ago and perhaps I contracted that. I may have been made more prone to infection due to the L-arginine.

With the sickness I just went though I will sacrifice taking free-form arginine for awhile.

[offroad]

Originally posted by AWILD
Ear congestion/infection/crackling and hollow feeling
Nasal drainage/congestion
Brown, green, neon orange, and some blood in mucus
Mucus filled coughs

As a child I had many ear infections which slowed drastically after puberty. Honestly I dont feel this is due to overtraining because I only lift 3 times a week, no more, no less. I am in and out in just over an hours time every time. I do no cardio at this point.

Looking back at things, a couple of people in my apt complex were sick two weeks ago and perhaps I contracted that. I may have been made more prone to infection due to the L-arginine.

With the sickness I just went though I will sacrifice taking free-form arginine for awhile.

yeah, i had horrible congestion, but the worst of all was the chronic headaches, like i literally had headaches for days and days at a time. During the whole period i was super sensitive to bright lights, it was like kryptonite or something. I stopped working out for a whole month till it passed. Doctor said it mightav had something to do with the fact that i used to go into ice filled tubes to feed my sadistic nature. But i think it was more along the lines of overtraining. But anyway, you'll probably never know if the arginine is what made you more prone to infection or not, so i guess its wise to stop taking it as you stated here.

[AWILD]

Originally posted by offroad
Doctor said it mightav had something to do with the fact that i used to go into ice filled tubes to feed my sadistic nature.

That would only lead to pneumonia and would probably actually lessen the likelihood of infection due to the cold. And while we're at it, why did you go into these ice tubes again?

[pogue]

Infections are caused by bacteria, not viruses. So, arginine would have no effect on those -- actually it can stimulate the immune system to help clear those out.

[AWILD]

Pogue - touch up on your medical knowledge a little. Infections can be caused by either a virus or bacteria. http://www.microbe.org/microbes/virus_or_bacterium.asp

Also, doing a quick google, it is recommended not to take L-arginine if you have herpes because it helps in the replication process somehow. (I dont have herpes but this is interesting to find that it aids in viral replication)

Also found:

"Individuals with herpes and other viral infections should not take arginine supplements, because arginine seems to promote the viral growth.

"arginine is mostly present in protanines and histones, two proteins commonly associated with nucleic acids (like DNA and RNA)." This may be why viral infections are aided by arginine.

"All viruses have a protein coat and a core of genetic material, either DNA or RNA"

"Viruses are moochers. They contain only a limited genetic blueprint and they don't have the necessary building tools. They have to invade other cells and hijack their cellular machinery to reproduce. Viruses invade by attaching to a cell and injecting their genes or by being swallowed up by the cell. "

[poundpacker]

Originally posted by pu12en12g
Taking arginine as a supplement is different than taking it in protein powder. You should be fine.

The studies you were referring to, caution taking it in it's "l-arginine" free form (supplementing it seperately).

Thanks for the responses! Regarding the response above, I don’t understand how there is a difference. It's the same amino acid regardless if it's in supplement form, or in protein powder form correct?