Dairy often gets a bad rap.
But milk proteins may help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
A study just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at the use of Whey and Casein protein supplements in 38 individuals with mild blood pressure disturbance.
Investigators also looked at other metabolic parameters including, lipids, glucose, and markers of blood vessel function.
Small improvements were seen favoring Whey Protein including
Decreased
CRP
Total to HDL Cholesterol Ratio
Triglycerides
Fasting Glucose and Insulin
Systolic and Diastolic Blood pressure
Increased
Flow mediated vasodilation (gold standard for endothelial dysfunction)
Only changes in Total lipids, blood pressure, and FMD were significant.
Some of the benefits were seen with Casein, but not the starch control. Actually, there was detriment seen with the control in some of the parameters listed above.
We’ve discussed dairy in the past.
Dairy proteins can be a problem for many folks.
But for those not sensitive, they are likely a great addition to your diet. Whey protein especially. Unlike other proteins, Whey is rich in glutamyl-cysteine residues which function as building blocks for our big guns in the antioxidant department, glutathione.
How do you know if you’re sensitive?
Easy.
Look for really common manifestations including skin breakouts, changes in stool frequency, consistency, and digestion.
The amount of Whey used in this particular study was 58 grams. This is probably around 2 scoops a day for most products.
What type of product should you buy?
There is some argument about the superiority of Whey Concentrate over Isolate. Concentrate contains a tad more carbohydrate and fat, whereas the Isolate is generally only going to have protein. Although I’ve never seen a direct comparison of Whey to Isolate, I lean towards concentrate as a more intact product with all the beneficial components left the “whey” it’s supposed to be!
Some good products that come in a few different flavors include
Jarrow Formulas
Reserveage Nutrition
MRM
Any easy “whey” to use your whey… okay I’ll stop doing that.
Get some mason jars. An immersion blender.
One avocado or half a can of coconut milk
1 cup of water
A handful of frozen strawberries
1 banana
1 scoop of whey
You can play around with the amount of water added depending on how thick you like your shake. I like to eat mine with a spoon!
Drop everything in the jar. Blend. Enjoy. All this comes out to around ~3 bucks per shake.
Now that’s a great “whey” to get in some cost effective nutrition! Sorry. Couldn’t help it.
Fekete, Ágnes A., et al. “Whey protein lowers blood pressure and improves endothelial function and lipid biomarkers in adults with prehypertension and mild hypertension: results from the chronic Whey2Go randomized controlled trial.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 104.6 (2016): 1534-1544