Whey Protein Isolate—FAQs?

Why pay more for HMS 90/Immunocal when a canister of whey protein isolate will do the same thing for a fraction of the cost?

Well, it doesn’t work that way. Conventional whey proteins add calories and protein to the diet. They are good for healthy people who wish to gain weight or add muscle bulk and that’s about it. Some whey proteins make immune enhancement claims by listing cysteine or glutathione in the ingredients. Trouble is, these compounds may be present (or not), but they most certainly are not in any bioactive form. That means that your body cannot utilize them and they are simply excreted.

HMS 90/Immunocal contains patented, bioactive cysteine which the body utilizes to manufacture glutathione (GSH). GSH is the body’s master antioxidant, immune facilitator and detoxifier/chelator. Every other antioxidant depends on GSH in order to be effective. A person can consume all the blueberries, vitamins and dark chocolate they can eat….without adequate GSH, these antioxidants are virtually useless.

HMS 90/Immunocal is approved by Health Canada as an immune system enhancer and it is backed by many published, peer reviewed clinical studies which can be viewed on PubMed.

Immunocal/HMS 90 and Dairy

Immunocal/HMS 90 is derived from whole milk, however, that is where the relationship to milk ends. After it leaves the cow (which is antibiotic/steroid free), the milk is processed and refined until it is 90% molecularly similar to human breast milk (HMS 90=human milk serum 90% pure). That means the product has been distilled down until there is almost nothing left but the amino acid cysteine. More than 99% of the lactose is removed, so there is minimal risk of lactose intolerance and there is virtually no remaining resemblance to dairy. A person would have to have a specific intolerance to cysteine to react to this product, and cysteine allergies are exceedingly rare. One would know if they are cysteine intolerant if they were allergic to their mother’s breast milk.

Cysteine stimulates cellular production of glutathione (GSH). GSH is the body’s master antioxidant, fuel for the immune system and detoxifier. It is therefore common for people to experience detoxification symptoms once beginning these products. Sometimes those symptoms are mistaken for an allergic reaction. Detox symptoms may include nausea/vomiting, skin rash, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, constipation, nasal discharge and headache to name a few of the more common ones. These symptoms are temporary and actually desirable, even though they may be unpleasant. Detoxification means that the product is doing what it is supposed to do. The severity and longevity of detox symptoms is directly related to the degree of toxicity in the body.