WHEY Protein AND LDL CHOLESTEROL – Part II

You decided that you want to benefit from the cholesterol lowering benefits of Whey Protein. It is now important to pick the right Whey Protein for your situation. First of all – if you are lactose intolerant, read our guide about Whey Protein and Lactose Intolerance here. Do you want to use Whey Protein just for the Cholesterol piece of it, or do you want to lose wheight as well? Or do you want to increase the amount of muscle that you have? These are questions you should have answers for before buying your first containter of Whey Protein.

There are different kind of Whey Proteins and some are better for one strategy, while others work best somewhere else. Whey Protein Isolate as an example can be the best choice when being Lactose Intolerant. Whey Protein Light can be the best choice when trying to lose weight and gain muscle tissue. ISS Research Complete Whey Power is a great choice if you are trying to gain muscle and need a protein that provides enough energy and muscle fuel. We found that Whey Protein Light is an allround protein that meets many needs.

It is important to know that no matter which protein you will settle on, you should always increase your physical activity. Being a couch potatoe cannot be made up for by taking pills or powder-based shakes. If you do not feel like exercising, at least start walking 3-5 miles per day to be able to get the most out of your whey protein and health efforts.

Read Part I of this article about Whey Protein and Cholesterol here.

WHEY Protein AND LDL CHOLESTEROL

You probably know already that researchers have found quite a bit about the benefits of whey protein – including many significant health benefits. There is extremely good news available now about Whey Protein and Cholesterol. It has been conformed that Whey is a potent inhibitor of oxidized low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL Cholesterol). Even smaller amounts of Whey Protein seem to have the ability to fight the bad Cholesterol. The Whey ingredient “Lactoferrin” seems to be the key here. When the lactoferrin was removed from the protein, the ability of the whey-protein concentrate to prevent LDL oxidation was greatly reduced, leading researchers to the conclusion that, “Lactoferrin (LF) is the main factor responsible for the inhibitory effect of whey protein on LDL and may function synergistically with other factors in whey protein…”

Another research study examined the effects of whey protein concentrate and casein and the risk factors of what we commonly know as heart disease. Though casein (which is another milk-based protein) is actually known to raise cholesterol, whey protein has the opposite effect, leading researchers to note, “At high dietary protein ingestion levels, whey protein significantly lowered plasma and liver cholesterol and also plasma triacylglycerols.”

So, several studies have shown the positive affect Whey Protein can have when ingested by individuals that suffer from high cholesterol or have a family history of high cholesterol. As with everything that comes into play with high cholesterol, it is important to know that you will need to look at this issue long-term. One week of Protein intake will not be enough to lower your cholesterol on a continious basis. If you decide to use Whey Protein to lower your cholesterol, you should consider this a long-term thing and use it daily. Our recommendation is to buy Whey Protein in bulk for the money savings and to buy the right kind of Whey Protein for your situation.

Read Part II of this article about Whey Protein and Cholesterol here.

Lactose intolerant – Should you avoid whey protein?

Should you avoid Whey Protein if being lactose intolerant? To a certain degree that answer might be “yes, you should”, but read on. There are options and it requires you to read the nutrional information on the product labels in detail. Individuals with lactose intolerance should select a pure whey protein isolate. These Whey Proteins usually have less than 0.1 gram of lactose per tablespoon (approx. 20 grams). These amounts of lactose are usually small enough to not trigger a reaction inside your body.

20 grams of lactose is less lactose than the amount usually found in a cup of yogurt. So, if you eat Yogurt every once in a while with no problems, you should be just fine. Also, research has shown that many people with lactose intolerance have no trouble ingesting this tiny amount of lactose that comes with Whey Protein Isolate. Important: Individuals with lactose intolerance should avoid whey protein concentrates as they usually contain higher amounts of lactose + these amounts can vary greatly from product to product.

Conclusion: If you are lactose intolerant you will need to pay a little more attention when it comes to Whey Protein. However, you do not have to completely ignore Whey Protein and are still able to enjoy the benefits accordingly. So, stick to a pure Whey Protein Isolate and receive all the benefits Whey Protein has to offer.

Whey Protein and Physical Performance

Whey protein has long been considered the leader among proteins for serious athletes who try to develop and sustain a lean, strong and well-defined body. Research studies have confirmed that Whey Protein is indeed the best protein for this purpose. Top athletes need more protein in their diet than a normal active person would need. Often athletes consume as much as twice the recommended daily amount to allow for best muscle growth. The type of protein an athlete decides to use will make the difference between succeeding in their goal or failing to build adequate muscle tissue.

What are some reasons that athletes prefer Whey Protein? As you know, Whey protein is a natural protein that contains all of the essential amino acids needed a healthy diet on a daily base. Whey Protein has an ideal combination of amino acids that allows the body to optimize composition and to improve possible athletic performance.

Whey protein helps an athlete to maintain a healthy immune system, too. This is due to the increasing levels of glutathione in the body that come with the additional ingestion of Whey Protein. Glutathione is actually an anti-oxidant required for a healthy immune system. Exercise and resistance training may reduce glutathione levels. Whey protein helps keep the glutathione levels high so that an athlete stays healthy and strong to allow for best performance.

Whey protein is also a major source of “branched chain amino acids” or BCAAs. Whey Protein contains some of the highest known levels of BCAAS in any natural food source. Why are branched chain amino acids so important? BCAAs are important for athletes because they are metabolized directly into muscle tissue and are the first ones used during longer periods of physical exercise when working out. Whey protein provides the body with BCAAs to rebuild depleted levels and start repairing and rebuilding new muscle tissue.

Read more about post workout meals and why it is important to ingest some Whey Protein Shakes shortly after a workout.

Soy protein versus Whey protein

According to studies Soy protein and whey protein are supposed to be equally beneficial in promoting muscle gain. During the study, researchers at Indiana University’s School of Medicine in Evansville compared the early response of skeletal muscle protein synthesis and gain in muscle following the ingestion of the two protein sources after endurance exercise in rats.

The animals were subjected to 120 minutes of treadmill exercise and then fed them with 3 different type of “meals”. The animals received a carbohydrate-only, carbohydrate and whey protein mix, or a carbohydrate and soy protein meal. That way the study wanted to see the real results compared to what a human would ingest after an intensive workout.

Once enough data was collected it was determined that Soy and whey proteins were equally effective. Both sources of protein seemed to initiate general muscle growth in the rats’ skeletal muscle tissue. But don’t let rats tell you what Soy can do compared to normal Whey Protein.

Another study conducted at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) found the post-workout consumption of specific Soy Drinks showed similar results to drinks based on Whey Protein.

Now, why would you consider Soy based protein as your main source of protein now? It depends. Soy has some benefits compared to normal dairy based products. This is especially true if you are dealing with heart related problems and (as an example) high cholesterol or high blood pressure.  Also, if one is Lactose intolerant a Soy based protein might be a good resource as well.

Optimum 100% Soy Protein is a great source of Soy Protein.

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