Whey protein boosts muscle synthesis, fat loss, and cardiovascular health without adverse effects.
by Michael Colgan, Ph.D.
Increased protein consumption has become popular among individuals, especially athletes, trying to increase or maintain lean muscle mass and lose body fat. Whey protein concentrate (WPC) in liquid form has become the most used protein supplement because it is shown to be rapidly and easily digestible without adverse side effects.
Clinical studies show that approximately 30 g of WPC as a liquid meal produces a large rise in postprandial plasma amino acid levels in approximately 90 minutes, which returns to baseline within 5 hours. The rise in amino acid levels reliably increases protein synthesis and nitrogen balance (1,2).
Recently, it has been reported that intake of WPC above 1.5 g/kg/day helps to decrease body fat, increase lean body mass, and maintain nitrogen balance (3-14). WPC intake as high as 2.8 g/kg/day (3.5 times the current Recommended Daily Allowance) is reported to have no adverse effects on renal or other organ function.
There is considerable evidence that protein intakes above the current RDA may be beneficial during weight loss. Early evidence in support of higher protein intakes was derived from studies using very low calorie diets. This research found that increasing dietary protein to levels of 1.5 g protein per kilogram of ideal body weight (about twice the RDA) reduced loss of lean tissue during rapid weight loss (4-14).
Other researchers have found that there is a metabolic advantage with a high protein- low carbohydrate diet associated with increased thermogenesis, and that WPC has a higher satiety value, thus reducing net food intake (4-14). Overall, the research shows that increased dietary protein as WPC, contributes to a mix of metabolic outcomes beneficial to fat loss and retention of lean muscle mass.
Recent research shows that WPC consumption also confers positive cardiovascular benefits, including improved insulin function, improved lipid profiles, and reduced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) (9,10,15,16). For these reasons alone it offers a supplement to the American diet that could have far-reaching effects in supporting healthy aging.
References
1. Boirie Y, Dangin M, Gachon P, Vasson MP, Maubois JL, Beaufrere B. Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 1997;94:14930–14935. doi: 10.1073/pnas.94.26.14930
2. Dangin M, Boirie Y, Garcia-Rodenas C, Fauquant J, Callier P, Ballevre O, Beaufrere B. The digestion rate of protein is an independent regulating factor of postprandial protein retention. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2001;280:E340–E348.
3. Layman D. Protein quantity and quality at levels above the RDA improves adult weight loss. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004;23:631S–636S.
4. Halton TL, Hu FB. The effects of a high protein diets on thermogenesis, satiety and weight loss: a critical review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004;23:373–385.
5. Rufian-Henares JA, Delgado-Andrade C, Jimenez-Perez S. Assessing nutritional quality of milk-based sport supplements as determined by furosine. Food Chemistry. 2007;101:573–578. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2006.02.016.
6. Sindayikengera S, Wen-shui X. Nutritional evaluation of caseins and whey proteins and their hydrolysates from Protamex. J Zhejiang Uni. 2006;7:90–98. doi: 10.1631/jzus.2006.B0090.
7. Bilsborough S, Mann N. A review of issues of dietary protein intake in humans. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006;16:129–152.
8. Johnston CS, Tjonn SL, Swan PD. High-protein, low-fat diets are effective for weight loss and favorably alter biomarkers in healthy adults. J Nutr. 2004;134:586–91.
9. Hu FB, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Rimm E, Colditz GA, Speizer FE, et al. Dietary protein and risk of ischemic heart disease in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;70:221–227.
10. Pins JJ, Keenan JM. Effects of whey peptides on cardiovascular disease risk factors. J Clin Hypertens. 2006;8:775–82. doi: 10.1111/j.1524-6175.2006.05667.
11. Bistran BR, Winterer J, Blackburn GL, Young V, Sherman M: Effect of a protein-sparing diet and brief fast on nitrogen metabolism in mildly obese subjects. J Lab Clin Med, 1997;89:1030– 1035.
12. Feinman RD, Fine EJ: Thermodynamics and metabolic advantage of weight loss diets. Metab Syn Relat Dis 2003;1:209– 219.
13. Hill JH, Blundell JE: macronutrients and satiety: The effects of a high-protein or high-carbohydrate meal on subjective motivation to eat and food preferences. Nutr Behav 1986;3:133–144.
14. Anderson GH, Moore SE: Dietary proteins in the regulation of food intake and body weight in humans. J Nutr, 2004;134 :974S– 979S.
15. Layman DK, Shiue H, Sather C, Erickson DJ, Baum J: Increased dietary protein modifies glucose and insulin homeostasis in adult women during weight loss. J Nutr 2003;133 :405– 410.
16. Layman DK, Boileau RA, Erickson DJ, Painter JE, Shiue H, Sather C, Christou DD: A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles during weight loss in adult women. J Nutr 2003;133 :411– 417.
Dr. Colgan
Dr. Michael Colgan, a world-renowned research scientist and leading expert in the inhibition of aging, recently joined the Isagenix Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Colgan has served as a consultant to the U.S. National Institute on Aging and is widely recognized for several best-selling books on health and nutrition, including Your Personal Vitamin Profile, (New York: William Morrow, 1982), a definitive guide for accurate, scientifically researched nutritional information that has been in continuous print for the last 28 years. He is also the author of numerous research papers in a wide range of journals including Science, The Journal of Experimental Psychology, New Zealand Medical Journal, The Olympic Scientific Congress, and Nutrition and Health. As director at his eponymous Colgan Institute, a consulting, educational and research facility concerned with the effects of nutrition and exercise on athletic performance, along with prevention of chronic degenerative disease, and prevention of degeneration of the brain, Dr. Colgan has provided nutrition, training and anti-aging programs to more than 11,000 athletes, including many Olympians.
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