Comparative Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Concentrated, Hydrolyzed, and Isolated Whey Protein Supplementation on Body Composition of Physical Activity Practitioners

Abstract

Whey protein (WP) is a dairy food supplement and, due to its effects on fat-free mass (FFM) gain and fat mass (FM) loss, it has been widely consumed by resistance training practitioners. This review analyzed the impact of WP supplementation in its concentrated (WPC), hydrolyzed (WPH) and isolated (WPI) forms, comparing it exclusively to isocaloric placebos. Random effect meta-analyses were performed from the final and initial body composition values of 246 healthy athletes undergoing 64.5 ± 15.3 days of training in eight randomized clinical trials (RCT) collected systematically from five scientific databases. The weighted mean difference (WMD) was statistically significant for FM loss (WMD = −0.96, 95% CI = −1.37, −0.55, p < 0.001) and, in the analysis of subgroups, this effect was maintained for the WPC (WMD = −0.63, 95% CI = −1.19, −0.06, p = 0.030), with protein content between 51% and 80% (WMD = −1.53; 95% CI = −2.13, −0.93, p < 0.001), and only for regular physical activity practitioners (WMD = −0.95; 95% CI = −1.70, −0.19, p = 0.014). There was no significant effect on FFM in any of the scenarios investigated (p > 0.05). Due to several and important limitations, more detailed analyses are required regarding FFM gain.

Effectiveness of Protein Supplementation Combined with Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Physical Performance in Elderly: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…To our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis that compares RT plus PS with RT alone or plus placebo supplementation in a healthy elderly population. Notably, there are similar previous studies that compared different populations, such as a younger population [45,46] or elderly hospitalized people [47]; included a combination of other supplements, such as vitamin 3, omega-3, or a dietary intake modification [19,[48][49][50][51]; or studied other outcomes related to body composition [52,53].…”

Effects of Whey Peptide Supplementation on Sarcopenic Obesity in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

“…Whey protein has shown numerous health benefits, including body composition improvement, immunity enhancement, and inflammation and oxidative stress reduction in human studies [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Whey peptide (WP), a hydrolyzed form of whey protein, has a higher absorption rate than whey protein [ 24 ] and a variety of biological benefits including anti-obesity [ 25 ] and antioxidant [ 26 ] effects in vivo and fast recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage in a human study [ 27 ].…”

Composites Based on Hydroxyapatite and Whey Protein Isolate for Applications in Bone Regeneration

“…The whey protein isolated from it contains peptides, glycopeptides and other protein glycoconjugates with immunomodulating properties such as α-lactalbumins, β-lactoglobulins and components promoting bone mineralization such as calcium, lactates, and phosphates [ 25 , 26 ]. Commercially processed whey protein occurs in three main forms, as a concentrate (WPC), an isolate (WPI) and a hydrolysate (WPH) [ 27 ]. The following studies were based on WPI.…”