If it was good enough for Miss Mufett

This blog is a bit of a departure from my usual musings in that I’m going to talk about a particular product that I think (based on research I’ve been reading) needs more attention than it’s been receiving. I’ve been surprised by the number of questions I’ve been getting about whey protein, so thought it was high time that I put some of the recent findings into print.

Although I used to work in the dairy industry I knew very little about whey, other than that Miss Mufett liked it along with her curds. But in fact, in the past twenty years whey has gone from being a waste product of cheese making to a highly valued product rich in nutritional and functional properties. But first, before we get into its various uses, a bit of an introduction into just what exactly whey is.

Whey is one of the two proteins in cow’s milk, making up about 20% of its total protein content. The other important protein in milk is called casein, and when cheese is made the whey proteins separate out from the casein. The most common forms of whey protein used in high protein bars, beverages, and supplements are the concentrate (whey protein concentrate) or the isolate (whey protein isolate).

So why should you care? Well, to begin with, research is revealing a component rich in whey that we just hadn’t paid too much attention to before now. Like all animal proteins (with the exception of gelatine) whey protein is a complete, high quality protein with a rich amino acid profile. What makes whey protein stand out, however, is its high content of a branched-chain amino acid called leucine. This is big news since leucine has been shown to play a critical role in insulin and glucose metabolism. Not only that, because it helps people maintain muscle tissue it can be particularly important for seniors, those who are particularly active, and folks trying to maintain or lose weight.

The best known effects of whey protein are the aforesaid abilities to promote weight loss, increase lean muscle mass and---a real bonus--- boost the immune system.

So, you’re no doubt asking yourself, if whey is so hot, how come we used to throw it away? Good question. It’s a particularly good question because it helps in part to illuminate what needs to emphasized and repeated many times, and that is that nutrition is an evolving science. Almost on a daily basis we learn something that we didn’t know before (like ketchup is a better source of lycopene than fresh tomatoes!), and whey protein fits into that category. We simply didn’t know all that it had going for it until nutrition scientists started doing the research.

So who needs it? You can certainly argue that we’ve gotten along without whey protein all these many years, but there are some arguments that are hard to counter. For example, all seniors experience a loss in lean body mass or muscle tissue as they get older. This can lead to increased falls and more fractures. Not a pretty picture. Aging is also associated with an increased incidence of adult-onset diabetes, and whey’s ability to improve glucose metabolism can help forestall such a development. So I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to suggest that whey protein powder added to a milkshake would be a good idea for seniors.

Athletes also stand to benefit from whey protein being added to their diet by virtue of its impact on stimulating muscle protein synthesis, and improved performance in athletes on a resistance-training program. Dieters also seem to benefit from whey protein because it appears to help fat loss as opposed to the muscle loss that many fad diets encourage. The big plus for people of any age or stage is the enhancement of the immune system. Scientists believe that this is due to the increased level of glutathione, lactoferrin and immunoglobulins found in whey protein.

I’ve seen whey protein in a few grocery stores, but you’re more likely to find it in a “health” food store (I put that in quotes because the name always ticks me off, implying as it does that other food is “sick”). If you’re going to buy some (and it’s still pretty expensive) read the label. You should look for whey products that contain WPI (whey protein isolate) or WPC 80 (whey protein concentrate 80%). These show that the whey protein is in a more highly concentrated form. If lactose is a concern, choose whey protein isolate, which contains little or no lactose.

Now don’t get me wrong: whole food sources of protein such as meat, legumes, milk and eggs are still important not only for their protein but for the other nutrients they provide as well. Personally I’ve had a milk smoothie (fruit, milk and yogurt) for breakfast for years…I’ve just recently started topping it off with whey protein. I like to pretend it’s because I’m an athlete that I take it, but between you and me it’s because I’m officially now a senior.