Dieters Retains More Muscle With Whey Protein
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Dieters Retains More Muscle With Whey Protein
by: Robbie Durand
There’s no competition. Not all protein is created equal. Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of whey protein to play a vital role in muscle growth and maintenance, increased satiety and appetite control, and reduction of body fat (specifically visceral fat— the fat the bathes your vital organs). Whey protein contains an incredible range of essential amino acids, which are absorbed quickly. A new study revealed that if your dieting than whey protein is essential for your supplement regimen as it helps prevent muscle tissue breakdown. Higher dietary energy as protein during weight loss results in a greater loss of fat mass and retention of muscle mass.
“The researchers concluded that whey protein supplementation attenuated the decline in rates of muscle protein synthesis after weight loss, which may be of importance in the preservation of lean mass during longer-term weight loss interventions.”
The study included 40 obese subjects (19 men, 21 women) between the ages of 35 and 65. The subjects were placed on a diet and consumed 750 fewer calories than their metabolism required. They supplemented their diet with either 54 grams of a whey protein supplement (27 grams twice daily), 52 grams of a soy protein (26 grams twice daily), or 50 grams of a carbohydrate supplement (25 grams of maltodextrin twice daily) for 14 days. The protein supplementation resulted in a total protein intake of 1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight in the protein groups and 0.7 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight in the control group.
At the end of the study, while the control group had less of a decrease in lean body mass than the whey protein group (0.7% versus 1.2%), the rate of muscle protein synthesis was significantly higher in the whey protein group compared to either the soy protein or control groups. Muscle protein synthesis was reduced by 9% in the whey group, which was less than the reduction in soy (28%) and carbohydrate groups (31)%, respectively after the intervention. Fat oxidation was suppressed but more so with ingestion of carbohydrate than soy or whey. This indicates a greater long-term benefit to muscle mass preservation with whey protein supplementation during calorie-restricted diets compared to either soy protein or carbohydrate supplementation.
The researchers concluded that whey protein supplementation attenuated the decline in rates of muscle protein synthesis after weight loss, which may be of importance in the preservation of lean mass during longer-term weight loss interventions.
Hector AJ, et al. Whey protein supplementation preserves postprandial myofibrillar protein synthesis during short-term energy restriction in overweight and obese adults. J Nutr. Doi:
