Review Finds Heart and Metabolic Benefits to Whey Protein Consumption

by | Apr 18, 2013 | 2011, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Health, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Proteins, Weight Control

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a review of whey protein studies, information was included showing a 57% improvement in insulin response after lunch, double the weight loss, and an 8.0 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure compared to the control group.  

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 in 3 adults (35%) aged 20 years or older worldwide were overweight in 2008 (1), with the United States having the highest obesity rates (2) at 35.5% of the US population (3). Obesity-related illnesses cause 3 million deaths every year worldwide, with obesity doubling in the past 3 decades (4). Obesity is a harbinger for numerous chronic diseases, especially Metabolic Syndrome, characterized by:

  • Increased blood pressure (≥130/85 mmHg)
  • Blood sugar problems (fasting plasma glucose ≥100 milligrams/deciliter)
  • Abnormal blood fats (triglyceride levels ≥ 150 milligrams/deciliter)
  • Excess waist circumference (≥ 102 centimeters)
  • Low HDL (“good”) cholesterol (<40 milligrams/deciliter in males and <50 milligrams/deciliter in females).

Combined, all of these health parameters increase the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke (5) and can increase medical costs per patient by at least 20% compared to those without metabolic syndrome (6). Now a new review of the research (7) suggests whey protein may help with both heart and metabolic health. In the study, researchers found that whey protein supplementation: helped at least three areas of health:

  • Blood sugar control: The researchers noted “immediate health benefits” with whey protein isolate supplementation.  They cited a 2005 study in 14 patients with type 2 diabetes (8) in which 27.6 grams of whey protein before breakfast and lunch (totaling 55.2 grams per day) increased insulin response by 31% after breakfast and 57% after lunch compared with the meal without whey protein (p < 0.05).  Insulin is the hormone that transports sugar into cells for energy production so an increased insulin response will help maintain healthier blood sugar levels.
  • Weight Loss. Whey supplementation may significantly improve weight loss.  A 2011 study (9) in 31 overweight and obese post-menopausal women (body mass index (BMI) ranging from 27.8 to 39.6 kg/m2) who received 25 grams of whey protein concentrate twice per day for 6 months lost nearly twice as much % of starting weight as those taking a sugar (maltodextrin) supplement (8% vs 4.1% of bodyweight lost after 6 months, p = 0.059).
  • Blood Pressure: In a 2006 study (10), 30 patients with early signs of high blood pressure (between 120/80 and 155/95 mmHg) received either 20 grams per day of either a hydrolyzed whey protein or an unmodified whey protein (control group) for 6 weeks.  The researchers found that those in the hydrolyzed whey protein group had an 8.0 mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure (p <.05) and a 5.5 mmHg drop in diastolic blood pressure (p <.05), compared with the control group.

For the researchers, ““The collective view of current scientific literature indicates that the consumption of whey protein may have beneficial effects on some symptoms of the metabolic syndrome as well as a reduction in cardiovascular risk factors.”

Source: Pal, Sebely, and Simone Radavelli‐Bagatini. “The effects of whey protein on cardiometabolic risk factors.” obesity reviews 14.4 (2013): 324-343.

© 2012 The Authors

Posted April 18, 2013.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

  1. World Health Organization. Obesity: Situation and trends. Global Health Observatory (GHO), 2012
  2. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM. Prevalence of obesity in the United States, 2009–2010. NCHS Data Brief 2012; 82: 1–8.
  3. Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among US adults, 1999–2010. JAMA 2012; 307: 491–497.
  4. “Worldwide Obesity Doubled in Past 3 Decades” – ABC News February 4, 2011
  5. Alberti KG, Eckel RH, Grundy SM, et al. 2009. Harmonizing the metabolic syndrome: a joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity. Circulation 120: 1640–1645
  6. Curtis LH.  Costs of the Metabolic Syndrome in Elderly Individuals Findings from the Cardiovascular Health Study.  Diabetes Care October 2007; 30(10): 2553-2558
  7. Pal S.  The effects of whey protein on cardiometabolic risk factors . Obes Rev 2012 Nov 20. doi: 10.1111/obr.12005
  8. Frid AH, Nilsson M, Holst JJ, Bjorck IM. Effect of whey on blood glucose and insulin responses to composite breakfast and lunch meals in type 2 diabetic subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 2005; 82: 69–75.
  9. Mojtahedi MC, Thorpe MP, Karampinos DC et al. The effects of a higher protein intake during energy restriction on changes in body composition and physical function in older women. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2011; 66: 1218–1225
  10. Pins JJ, Keenan JM. Effects of whey peptides on cardiovascular disease risk factors. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2006; 8: 775–782.