New Research On Unique Benefit Of Whey Protein

by ProGrade Nutrition

A Washington State University research study was conducted that looked at men who drank a daily shake with whey protein for 6 weeks.  What they found was that the participants dropped their blood pressure by 8 points.

Susan Fleugel the lead study author believes what is happening here is that the whey protein may be improving the function of the blood vessel linings so they better regulate blood pressure.

If you don't already consume a protein shake then you may want to start as it appears that whey protein may help you to lower your blood pressure also.

Here is a list of other benefits that whey protein may provide.

1.  Increase the Thermic Effect of Food:  Your body may burn potentially up to 30% of the protein calories you consume just to digest that protein.  Compare that to only 3-7% of the carbs you eat and digest.

This can be significant when you are trying to lose weight and increase your metabolism to burn more calories.

2.  Sparing of muscle protein loss:  When dieting or even being a couch potato it is easy for the body to shed lean muscle because it is this muscle tissue that costs us energy.  So why not get rid of it so we don't have to worry about feeding it.

That is what the body is thinking to preserve itself.  Well, your body is wrong because this is what leads to more fat storage.  We need to preserve that lean muscle so that it continues to burn calories for us and helps to keep us lean.  Short term studies have reported that whey protein consumption helps with keeping this lean muscle.

3.  Improved glycemic control:  When you incorporate protein such as whey protein into your diet we already mentioned that it increases the rate at which you burn calories in regards to digestion, but it is also going to help your body use the sugars you do it more for energy rather than store them as fat.

It does this by releasing glucagon which is the antagonist to insulin.  This prevents your body from releasing too much insulin, which then promotes fat storage.  The whey protein consumption also keeps your blood sugars from rising too fast, which also then causes your insulin to spike up.

Overall it helps to control the key hormones that encourage fat storage and allows your body to burn the calories for energy instead.

A higher protein diet has been shown to be better for long term weight maintenance when compared to a moderate to high carbohydrate diet and now with some recent research showing it may help improve your blood pressure as well is all the more reason to incorporate a whey protein shake 1 time a day into your healthy eating plans.
Check Out Other Protein Related Articles:

Whey Protein Controls Hunger
Whey Protein Burns Calories
Benefits Of Protein


Mark Dilworth, BA, PES
Your Fitness University
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