Whey Protein...The Next Great Diet Supplement???

When you think of whey protein you tend to think of body builders and people looking to “bulk up”. The idea of drinking down 50 grams of protein shakes a day does not bring up images of people looking to lose weight.

New Study Shows Whey Protein May Help Overweight People

A new study done by Associate Professor Sebely Pal and colleagues from Curtin University and funded by Dairy Australia, evaluated the effects of whey protein supplementation on a number of health risk factors in a group of overweight or obese adults. What they found was that whey protein improved a number of health risk factors in overweight or obese adults.

“The subjects – 70 overweight or obese men and women – were randomly allocated to replace a portion of their normal diet with whey protein, casein or glucose for 12 weeks.

After the 12 weeks, the researchers found that the whey protein group showed improvements in their cholesterol levels, insulin levels, blood pressure and artery stiffness.”

- Dairy Australia Study – May 10, 2010

Is Dairy Australia Really An Objective Source?

We are with you – we had the same reaction when we read the story, however, the study looks like it is for real. The study is set to be published in two peer-reviewed journals – Obesity and the British Journal of Nutrition. Yes, it was only done with 70 subjects, but it does show that whey protein has more health benefits then we may have imagined.

Whey Protein – Not Just For Body Builders Any More

Is Whey Protein really some diet miracle – no. The study does not show people lost weight when using whey protein, but it did show that overweight and obese people who consume whey protein have less health issues. It does seem that if you are looking to lose weight the idea of replacing a high calorie meal with a good whey protein shake can help you shed some pounds and reduce some of the health risks associated with being overweight.