Immunocal – Whey Above the Rest
Understanding the Science Behind Immunocal
So often we are asked how Immunocal fits into the world of dairy science and whey proteins. Let’s examine this rapidly expanding field and see how these products are truly unique.
Many milk derivatives and whey products exist on the marketplace for health-conscious individuals. These products are extremely variable in their protein content, their concentration, the amount of denaturization (damage to the original protein structure), the actual types of proteins present, and other factors which play important roles in the effectiveness of the product:
Immunocal is a protein isolate. Whey protein “isolates” is of the purest form, being between 90‑98% protein with negligible fat and lactose per serving. Whereas whey protein “concentrates” usually contains between 70-85% protein with significant levels of fats, lactose and often many toxins that accompany these. It contains sub-families of proteins with the highest levels of glutathione precursors (building blocks) available. The unique way that Immunotec extracts these proteins intact (undenatured) in their natural form accounts for our ability to deliver high levels of cystine and cysteine to the cell. It was Dr. Bounous who first described the importance of keeping these fragile proteins. These techniques are not employed by other manufacturers whose products have been seriously degraded by the time they reach your mouth. Notice that you will generally not find warnings against heating other proteins, because they are most often already seriously broken down.
During the manufacturing process both the fat and lactose content are removed. This allows even the most lactose-intolerant individual to consume our product safely. For those rare people who have a true allergy to milk proteins, it must be noted that up to 80% of these people are allergic to the protein called “caseine”. Caseine is not a protein that we desire as a glutathione precursor and the amounts found in Immunocal is in the range of 1-2%.
Of critical importance is the biological activity associated with the proteins involved. The vast majority of whey proteins are not tested for this factor. The research most of these companies use as “scientific references” for their product was in fact done by Dr. Bounous and his team toward the development of Immunocal. Whether any of these products actually work or not has been anybody’s guess because they have not withstood the test of real research. Dr. Wulf Dröge has picked up the torch and has taken Immunocal research to previously unforeseen heights, demonstrating the effectiveness of Immunotec’s whey protein technology in most highly regarded scientific journals.
The field of natural health care products will only truly advance if it is based in real research and quality control. Use the products that are legitimately proven and patented to be effective. Be comfortable that you are taking advantage of the highest quality supplements available to ensure health and longevity. The old adage “you get what you pay for” holds true in this realm as well. Skimping on your health and physical and mental performance is not recommended.
My approach to evaluating a natural product is akin to how a real estate agent evaluates a property. The only difference is that the agent uses the motto “Location, location, location” – I stand by “Research, research and research!”. Immunocal is the only whey products that fulfill all of these criteria.