Lee Swanson Research Update

Whey Protein Supplements Improve Blood Glucose Control

September 2005

whey protein

Eating foods high in simple carbohydrates causes large changes in blood sugar and insulin. Meals with a high glycemic index (high in simple sugars) increase blood sugar rapidly, which triggers the release of insulin. Insulin binds with cell receptors that work like locks and keys to allow sugar into the cell.

The blood sugar control system doesn’t work very well in people with type 2 diabetes, which triggers a host of health problems called the Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome includes high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, blood clotting abnormalities and abdominal fat deposition.

Researchers in Sweden and Denmark found that supplementing with whey protein during breakfast or lunch caused less fluctuation in blood sugar during the day. Fourteen diet-treated subjects with type 2 diabetes were served a high glycemic index (GI) breakfast (white bread) and subsequent high-GI lunch (mashed potatoes with meatballs). The breakfast and lunch meals were supplemented with whey on one day and whey was exchanged for lean ham and lactose on another day. Blood samples were taken before and four hours after breakfast and before and three hours after lunch.

Insulin responses were higher after both breakfast (31%) and lunch (57%) when whey was included in the meal than when whey was not included. After lunch, the blood glucose response was significantly reduced (21%).

Researchers concluded that the addition of whey to meals with rapidly digested and absorbed carbohydrates "stimulates insulin release and reduces postprandial blood glucose excursion."

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 82(1):69-75, 2005

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