When most people think about whey protein, they think about building muscle. Protein shakes at the gym. Meal replacement drinks in lieu of real food.<\/p>\n
The six-meal-and-three-snack-a-day bro who keeps a whey shake on his bedside table\u00a0to maintain those 2 AM gains.<\/p>\n
The up-at-dawn-to-beat-rush-hour woman who drinks a shake in the car in lieu of a pastry.<\/p>\n
As most people see it, whey protein\u2019s just for people who want more protein in their diets, people who don\u2019t have the time to cook, or people who hate to cook and also need more protein.\u00a0It\u2019s for weight lifters and athletes. It\u2019s a \u201cpoor replacement\u201d for real food. It\u2019s a compromise when life happens. If you can cook and eat real food regularly, the popular story goes, you don\u2019t need whey protein.\u00a0Just eat real food\u2014right?<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s actually much more to whey than just building muscle.<\/p>\n
What is Whey Protein?<\/h2>\n
Whey is a protein-packed byproduct of cheese production. It\u2019s that pseudo-clear liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. Cheese makers used to toss it aside as waste material, turn it into ricotta cheese, or feed it to livestock until food scientists started to understand its value as a protein supplement for humans.<\/p>\n
Today, we know that whey protein is the single best supplementary source of complete essential amino acids. It contains all the essential amino acids we need to promote muscle protein synthesis and muscle growth.\u00a0is far more than a byproduct of cheese-making. It\u2019s also more than just a single protein. Instead, it houses an impressive array of components with a wide variety of biological effects: beta-lactoglobulin, alpha-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, and immunoglobulins.<\/p>\n
Beta-lactoglobulin:<\/strong><\/p>\n Lactoferrin:<\/strong><\/p>\n Immuno-globulins (A, M, G):<\/strong><\/p>\n Those are just a few of the components found in that undigested\u00a0whey powder\u00a0sitting in your pantry. Once the whey hits your GI tract, it forms even more bioactive peptides with their own unique effects.\u00a0Some improve\u00a0blood lipids, lower\u00a0blood pressure, or act as opioid receptor agonists (if you\u2019ve ever seen a milk-drunk\u00a0baby\u00a0bliss out after nursing, his opioid receptors are likely being severely agonized by bioactive whey peptides).\u00a0Others\u00a0induce satiety and improve\u00a0metabolic health biomarkers.<\/p>\n Yes. Whey protein can help you gain muscle and improve many health conditions, like obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, and more.<\/p>\n Whey comes from milk products, so yes, whey protein is dairy. it\u2019s a major bioactive component of dairy. And, as with other forms of dairy, we have to consider the issue of\u00a0dairy intolerances and allergies. Dairy just doesn\u2019t work for\u00a0everyone, whether it\u2019s the lactose or the proteins.<\/p>\n Maybe. It depends on which component of dairy gives you trouble. You can be:<\/p>\n Luckily, most people can tolerate whey without issue.\u00a0You\u2019re far more likely to be allergic, sensitive, or intolerant to lactose or casein than to whey. And whey may even be downright\u00a0anti-<\/em>allergenic, as\u00a0whey-based formulas\u00a0have shown efficacy\u00a0in the\u00a0prevention of allergic diseases\u00a0like asthma and eczema in susceptible children and infants.<\/p>\n The exception to this may lie in geography and ethnicity: In East Asian countries like Taiwan, whey sensitivity appears to be more common than casein sensitivity. In western regions like the United States and Europe, casein intolerance is far more common than whey. However, that\u2019s just one study in people with atopic dermatitis. It might not apply to everyone.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve found that most people with \u201cdairy intolerance\u201d can usually handle whey protein isolate, which has little to no lactose and almost zero casein.<\/p>\n In most mammalian milk, casein protein predominates and whey is a minor fraction of the total protein content. Cow, goat, horse, sheep\u2014very high in casein, low in whey. But in human breastmilk, this ratio flips. As much as 80% of the total protein in human breastmilk is whey protein, where it plays important roles in immune system regulation and programming, cellular growth and differentiation, and overall physical and mental development. Infants raised on formula higher in casein end up with less lean mass and more fat mass than infants raised on formula higher in whey (and closer to the composition of breastmilk).<\/p>\n You could make the argument that whey protein is one of the most ancestrally consistent dairy foods a person can eat.<\/p>\n Overall, whey protein is much more than just a protein supplement. It builds muscle, improves glucose control, regulates immune function, lowers stress, and confers a ton of beneficial effects on people who consume it. \u00a0Real food is the foundation for a healthy\u00a0diet. But whey protein is\u00a0much more than a muscle-builder and meal replacer. I\u2019d argue that it deserves a spot on the \u201csupplemental foods\u201d list alongside\u00a0egg yolks,\u00a0liver,\u00a0fatty fish, and all the other foods that are powerful and vital in small doses.<\/p>\n I feel comfortable recommending its use for almost everyone, given that it\u2019s one of the best-studied and oldest dietary supplements around.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hear from you guys. Do you take whey? If so, what kind and why? How\u00a0have you benefited?<\/strong><\/p>\n Thanks for reading, everyone!<\/p>\n\n
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Is Whey\u00a0Protein Good for You?<\/h2>\n
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Is whey protein dairy?<\/h2>\n
Should dairy-intolerant people avoid whey?<\/h3>\n
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Why eat whey protein when we could just eat yogurt, cheese, or drink milk?<\/h3>\n
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