Whey is probably linked in your mind with two things – as a nursery rhyme snack for Little Miss Muffet and as a protein dietary supplement in sport and health food markets. Research is now revealing that whey, a by-product of cheese production, might have some beneficial effects on our health.
Whey proteins are already known to help with muscle damage while boosting tissue growth in children and pregnant women. Those looking to build or maintain muscle mass have also discovered that whey is an effective nutritional supplement. Whey’s success is shown in the prediction that worldwide sales of its powders and proteins are expected to hit $6.4billion dollars by 2014.
The potential benefits of whey protein have been explored in several research projects in recent years. A study reported in the journal Appetite focused on the effects of whey protein and resistance training on overweight young men, concluding that the two together were better for the participants’ cholesterol and antioxidant capacity than simply resistance training on its own.
Whey protein has also been shown to lessen the effects of a high-fat diet in a study using mice and reported in the Journal of Nutrition. The study was examining the part played by leucine, an amino acid, in nutrition and revealed that the mice on a diet high in whey protein had a better metabolic response, demonstrated in decreased body weight and body fat. The study concluded that this was probably because a high protein diet is more likely to make the consumer feel fuller and more satisfied.
One study suggests cardiovascular risk can be reduced by whey protein. Reporting in the British Journal of Nutrition, the study involved patients with impaired arterial blood flow given a whey-derived, bioactive peptide. The conclusion was that the peptide improved the function of the inner lining that regulates blood coagulation and platelet adhesion.
With work on the use of whey proteins in low fat and low carbohydrate foods already well advanced, the humble whey has come a long way from Miss Muffet’s tuffet.
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