Whey Protein For Cholesterol: Is It Good To Lower Cholesterol
Whey is a byproduct of milk and whey protein is very popular due to its high digestibility and muscle supporting benefits. Proteins in cow milk are 80% casein and 20% whey protein.
Whey was considered a waste for food industry for a long time. Nowadays, whey protein is valued more than egg, casein and soy protein, for its high nutritional quality and fast absorption.
Both whey and casein begin their life as milk. Whether by heat or other means, those two substances are separated from each other causing the solid casein to clump up and float on top of the remaining liquid whey. Once that whey is powdered, it can be labeled whey protein concentrate.
In this powder state, the whey contains about 70% protein, along other additional natural components as sugars and fats. To further increase the protein levels, another processing can be made to remove fats and sugar, and were left with hat is called whey protein isolate.
Most scientific studies were conducted about the effect of whey protein on metabolism in obese/overweight individuals and mostly in regard to weight loss effects.
The most important effect in cholesterol reduction aspect seems to be on reduction of triglycerides and some modest reduction on total cholesterol levels. Regarding LDL or HDL numbers, no effects were registered.
It can be added to a list of cholesterol reducing foods, especially as it has numerous other health benefits.
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Does Whey Protein Affect Triglycerides
, whey protein intake also significantly decreased triglycerides levels and had no effects on total cholesterol, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol but the subgroup analyses showed that significant reduction of triglycerides disappeared in several cases including lower dosage of whey protein, low BMI groups of participants,
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Is The Cholesterol In Whey Protein Bad
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Tyler Spraul is the director of UX and the head trainer for Exercise.com. He has his Bachelor of Science degree in pre-medicine and is an NSCA-certified strength and conditioning specialist. He is a former All-American soccer player and still coaches soccer today. In his free time, he enjoys reading, learning, and living the dad life.He has been featured in Shape, Healthline, HuffPost, Womens |
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- Some whey proteins do contain small amounts of both fat and cholesterol.
- There are three types of whey protein that are marketed today. They are isolate, concentrate, and hydrolysate.
- Protein concentrate does contain low levels of cholesterol, fat, and has more calories than protein isolate. Concentrate is, however, less expensive than isolate.
- Soy protein is beneficial for those who have high cholesterol.
Some whey proteins do contain small amounts of both fat and cholesterol.
This is usually found in whey protein concentrate supplements.
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Exercise On Most Days Of The Week And Increase Your Physical Activity
Exercise can improve cholesterol. Moderate physical activity can help raise high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the good cholesterol. With your doctors OK, work up to at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.
Adding physical activity, even in 10-minute intervals several times a day, can help you begin to lose weight. Just be sure that you can keep up the changes you decide to make. Consider:
- Taking a brisk daily walk during your lunch hour
- Riding your bike to work
- Swimming laps
- Playing a favorite sport
To stay motivated, find an exercise buddy or join an exercise group. And remember, any activity is helpful. Even taking the stairs instead of the elevator or doing a few situps while watching television can make a difference.
Get The Most From Your Protein Powder
Here are a few things to consider:
- To recover after exercise, an athlete or avid exerciser should consume protein within 60 minutes of a workout. Thats when your muscles are most responsive to the use of protein for the repair and growth process.
- To control your weight, its best to consume a steady supply of protein at each meal and snack to help keep you full.
Although theres no magic number for how much protein toconsume at one time, its best to aim for at least 3 ounces or 20 grams ofprotein per meal.
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Whey Protein May Have Beneficial Effects On Blood Fats
High cholesterol, especially LDL cholesterol, is a risk factor for heart disease.
In one study in overweight individuals, 65 grams of whey protein per day, for 12 weeks, led to a significant reduction in total and LDL cholesterol .
Other studies did not find similar effects on blood cholesterol .
The lack of effect might be due to differences in study design. Ultimately, further studies are needed before any conclusions can be made.
Summary
Long-term, high dose whey protein supplementation may lower cholesterol levels. The evidence is very limited at this point.
How Much Cholesterol Should I Have Per Day
Your daily cholesterol consumption should be fewer than 300 milligrams, according to the American Heart Association. Your cholesterol consumption should be fewer than 200 milligrams if you have heart disease or if it runs in your family. Many of the foods we eat daily, such as eggs, meat, fish, poultry, and milk, have variable quantities of cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol can boost blood cholesterol levels in the body, raising heart disease risk factors.
There are various forms of cholesterol, according to the American Heart Association, including low-density lipoprotein , high-density lipoprotein , and lipoprotein or Lp . LDL is the principal transporter of cholesterol in the bloodstream, but it may also build up in the walls of arteries that supply the heart and brain.
These compounds form a hard deposit in the arteries, blocking them and causing heart attacks, strokes, and other problems. HDL, or âgoodâ cholesterol, transports cholesterol from the arteries to the liver, where it is processed. If the Lp cholesterol level is excessively high, it can lead to the development of atherosclerosis at a young age and arterial wall lesions.
There are a number of things you may do to reduce your risk of heart disease. When eaten as part of a balanced diet, replacing saturated and trans-fatty acids with healthier fats may help decrease LDL cholesterol. Nuts and seeds, fish , and vegetable oils are all rich sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
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Whey Protein Concentrate Vs Isolate: Does It Matter For Cholesterol
We briefly touched on the difference between whey protein concentrate and isolate before, but theres a lot more to how theyre made up nutritionally.
Whey concentrate is usually about 70 percent protein with considerable levels of natural sugar and fats. Whey isolate is processed further to increase the protein content to 90 percent and dramatically decrease the amount of sugar and fat.
People assume that the difference in fat and sugar makes whey isolate the more cholesterol-friendly option.
However, it depends on the type of fat the whey contains. Whey protein that contains more polyunsaturated fats will have a stronger positive impact on cholesterol.
Whey concentrate is also higher in beneficial substances like lactoferrin.
Findings In Subgroup Analysis
In subgroup analysis, significant TG reduction after whey intervention in obese participants was clinically relevant, suggesting that whey intervention was especially efficacious in this group of individuals who mostly need to lower TG. Moreover, our subgroup analysis indicated that the effect of TG reduction disappeared when supplemental whey was less than 30g/day, suggesting the importance of a certain amount of whey protein to elicit measurable beneficial effects in humans. Weinheimer et al. reported that at least 35g of whey protein per day is necessary to improve metabolic health responses. Although habitual whey intake was not reported, most of these trials considered the balance of habitual diet in the control and intervention groups. In addition, in the subgroup analysis, we found that the TG-lowering effect disappeared when exercise training or energy restriction was applied during the trial. As important approaches for the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia, exercise training or energy restriction probably masked the effects of whey protein on lipid profiles. Furthermore, the frequency, intensity and duration of these additional approaches varied considerably. All of these factors could influence lipid profiles regardless of whey supplementation, and interrelated effects might even occur between whey proteins and other lifestyle strategies, including exercise and energy restriction.
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Potential Whey Protein Benefits
Researchers of a meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2016 reviewed results of 13 studies evaluating the effects of whey protein on total cholesterol, HDL and LDL. They found that whey protein had no effect on total, HDL or LDL cholesterol. However later that same year, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that both whey and casein protein significantly lowered total cholesterol in 38 healthy adults consuming one of the two proteins daily for eight weeks.
While preliminary results are mixed and more research is needed to determine whey’s effects on cholesterol, both the review of research and the study had one finding in common: Whey protein was effective at lowering triglycerides.
Triglycerides are the most abundant fat in the body. Any calories you consume that can’t immediately be used for energy are converted to triglycerides by your body, and these are stored in fat cells for later use. Regularly eating more calories than you need leads to weight gain, as well as high blood triglyceride levels. High triglycerides can cause arteries to harden and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
If Lifestyle Changes Arent Enough
Sometimes healthy lifestyle changes arent enough to lower cholesterol levels. Make sure the changes you make are ones you can continue to do, and dont be disappointed if you dont see results immediately. If your doctor recommends medication to help lower your cholesterol, take it as prescribed, but continue your lifestyle changes. Lifestyle changes can help you keep your medication dose low.
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Dr Dawn Harper On The Most Overlooked Health Conditions
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Cholesterol is a sneaky condition because it discreetly raises a persons risk of heart disease, an umbrella term for conditions that narrow or block blood vessels. Specifically, LDL also known as the bad cholesterol performs this deadly function. It does this by causing the build-up of fatty deposits within your arteries, thereby reducing or blocking the flow of blood and oxygen your heart needs. If your arteries become fully blocked, you could have a heart attack. Fortunately, there are ways to naturally lower your cholesterol. By consuming more omega-3 fatty acids and whey protein, your cholesterol could return to a healthy number. How?
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Cholesterol And Protein Powder
Do you know how much cholesterol you consume on a daily basis? The American Heart Association recommends that your daily cholesterol intake should be less than 300 milligrams. However, if you have heart disease or if it is common within your family, your cholesterol intake should be less than 200 milligrams. Many of the foods we consume on a daily basis contain varying levels of cholesterol such as eggs, meat, fish, poultry and milk. Dietary cholesterol can raise blood cholesterol levels in the body increasing the risk factors of heart disease.
According to the American Heart Association there are several types of cholesterol, including low-density lipoprotein , high-density lipoprotein and lipoprotein or Lp. LDL is the primary carrier of cholesterol and circulates throughout the blood, but it can also build up in artery walls that supply the heart and brain. These substances cause a hard deposit, clogging the arteries, which can lead to heart attacks, stroke or other issues. HDL, considered the healthy cholesterol, carries the cholesterol from the arteries to the liver for disposal. If the Lp cholesterol level is too high, it may involve developing atherosclerosis at an early age and may involve lesions in artery walls.
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How Much Soy And Whey Protein Should I Take Per Serving
The amount of each protein to take depends on the personâs weight and the purpose of the supplement. When using soy or whey protein for a sedentary individual, the suggested dose is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight.
The suggested dosage for people utilizing supplements for bodybuilding is between one and 1.5 grams per pound of body weight. Generally speaking, the average individual should aim for 20 to 25 grams each day. Athletes can increase their daily consumption by doubling it.
Many people focus on the different forms of cholesterol, such as LDL, HDL, and VLDL, when discussing cholesterol, but new study suggests that these may not be the most important factors to consider. High LDL, or âbadâ cholesterol, is one of the most important risk factors in the development of heart disease, according to a 2014 study published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. Yet, many people with normal LDL levels nonetheless get the illness.
This is because the size of LDL particles in the blood is more important than the number of particles in the blood. Small, dense particles and big, airy particles are the two forms of LDL. A high concentration of tiny, dense LDL particles, which is also related to low HDL and high triglycerides, raises your risk of heart disease, according to a paper published in the June 2014 issue of Current Opinion in Lipidology.
Which Is Better: Soy Or Whey Protein
They are both beneficial for different reasons. Whey protein is broken down in the body better than soy. Because of this the body uses and absorbs whey protein more efficiently.
Whey protein has also been shown to increase muscle mass and strength in those who use it for athletic purposes. Many studies have shown that those who use whey protein are able to build muscle faster, but also do not have as many muscle strains or other related injuries while training.
This is because whey protein also aids in the recovery of muscles. It also improves immunity, which is important for athletes who push their bodies to the limit.
Soy protein is beneficial for those who have high cholesterol. This is because soy protein does not contain cholesterol or lactose. Soy protein is also a popular alternative to meat for those who are vegetarian.
Soy protein has many health benefits, but it also has other functional uses. Soy protein is used for texturizing and emulsification. Some of its other uses are for cosmetics, paints, plastics, textile fibers, cleaning materials, adhesives, resins, and asphalts.
While soy protein has no cholesterol there are those whey proteins without cholesterol as well. Whey protein isolate does not have any cholesterol or fat, which makes it a great choice for those looking to increase their protein intake, but not their cholesterol intake.
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Can Whey Protein Cause High Cholesterol
Does whey protein raise or lower cholesterol? Whey concentrate, the most common type of whey protein, is high in fat compared to other types of protein. Therefore, there has been concern that taking whey protein on a regular basis could increase cholesterol. However, research shows that the opposite is actually true.
What Is Whey Protein
Milk contains two types of protein, whey, and casein. When milk or milk products separate, there is a fatty portion thats used to make cheese and a liquid portion that contains whey. The whey is either discarded or processed further to make whey protein powder.
There are actually several types of whey protein. Whey concentrate is the most common, mostly because its the cheapest and has the best taste.
Whey isolate is pretty common too. It has less fat and lactose, making it easier to digest for some people. This is the type of protein most often used for research.
Finally, whey hydrolysate is basically pre-digested whey protein. This helps your body absorb the whey faster. However, whey is already absorbed pretty quickly and its unclear if the difference with whey hydrolysate is worth the high price tag.
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This Morning: Dr Chris Urges People To ‘know Their Numbers’
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High cholesterol is when a person has too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in their blood. Too much cholesterol blocks blood vessels making it more likely to have a heart attack or stroke. Having high cholesterol is mainly due to a diet of fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol. A person can lower their cholesterol by taking certain supplements and adding more whey protein to your diet could help lower your levels.
Which Whey Protein Is Best For Lowering Cholesterol
Different types of whey and its derivatives were used in clinical trials, but none was specified to have more significant health benefits than the other. Increasing number of nutritionists are endorsing whey protein as an excellent nutrient in any form.
Whey protein in any form is a rich form of protein with a multitude array of benefits for your health. However, in terms of reducing cholesterol, studies showed that the effect is minimal. It may help in reducing triglycerides levels.
Note* If youre solely relying on whey supplementation to lower your cholesterol, you should expect small results in reduction of triglycerides & total cholesterol. LDL levels seems not to be affected. If you really need to reduce your cholesterol fast, you may want to consider using a specific cholesterol lowering supplement like this one.
Trusted sources to support the facts within this article.
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