John Morey wrote:
> I have become a vegan, no dairy (lactose intolerance). I take a large OJ with two tble. spoons of veg. protein and two tbl spoons of flax,
originally in morning, but now at night.  I am also taking enzime pills
and vitamins(Energy Plus pk. of C,E, beta carotine, calcium, chromium,
> hydrolyzed casein amino acid complex, and B complex with minerals).  Will the drink and/or the enzime pills interfere with the sinemet
absorption, and if so, delay, or stop, the levadopa.<
>

John, I've followed your postings with great interest. You ask some very
challenging questions, so I'll take them in order. I'd like to post it
to the list, as you suggest, as someone may have ideas I haven't thought
of.

1) 2 TB of veg protein in the evening--interference with sinemet would
depend on the amino acid profile of the protein. If it's a pure protein
isolate, that would be about 28 grams and I would think could very
significantly affect sinemet absorption, depending on the proportion of
large neutral aminos (these are the ones that interfere with sinemet
absorption). But it may not be pure protein--some contain a percentage
of carbohydrates. Can you find out the protein source and percent from
the distributor?

2) 2 TB of flax in evening--The flax (I presume you use it for the fiber
and the omega-3 benefits?) will also have some protein, but none of my
sources have an amino acid profile for flax, so I can't comment on what
level of interference it might present. My first guess is, it would not
present the same significance as protein powder, as there is a large
percent of fat and fiber present.

3) Enzyme pills, evening: Enzymes are indeed proteins, but I imagine you
are taking them in a very small amount. Again, interference would depend
on the LNAAs present, also on the location of digestion of the enzymes.
In combination with the veg protein, though, it could pose a significant
risk.

4) Vitamim pills containing casein, evening: really good question; I'm
still pondering K Tollifsen's reaction to milk and wondering if it's the
total amino complex or some isolated factor like whey or casein. At any
rate, caseim IS a protein, derived from milk. In the small amount
present in a pill, it would likely not pose a problem (unless Kathie et
al are indeed reacting to the casein, not milk per se) except that you
are taking it with other proteins. As you say that you are lactose
intolerant, not allergic to milk, the casein should not present any
digestive problems on that score (though if you continue to pursue the
vegan lifestyle, casein may present an ethical difficulty).

In sum, I can't determine how many grams of protein you are taking in
the evening, but it sounds as though the amount could be significant.
Could you take the sinemet and juice first, then 30 minutes later take
the supplements?

If you're not experiencing any problems, though, I think you should go
with it. Vegetable protein is an excellent source; I'd like to see my
clients adopt more of it in their daily menus.

Please let me know how you're doing.
Best regards,
--
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD
Editor-in-Chief,
"Spotlight on Food--nutrition news for people 60-plus"
Tel: 970-493-6532   Fax: 970-493-6538
http://www.fortnet.org/~fivstar
Contact  Better Business Bureau of the Mountain States,
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