Whey protein: Composition, nutritional properties, appications in sports and benefits for human health

Abstract

The soluble proteins of milk, also known as whey protein, are extracted during the cheese manufacturing process. They have high nutritional value, with high levels of essential amino acids, especially branched chain amino acids. They also have a high level of calcium and whey bioactive peptides. Recent researches have shown their wide application for sports with possible effects on skeletal muscle protein synthesis, reduction of body fat, as well as adiposity modulation, and improved muscle performance. Researches involving the analysis of their bioactive compounds have also shown benefits to human health. Among these benefits, their hypotensive, antioxidant, and hypocholesterolemic effects stand out. This review has searched scientific articles that evaluate the functional properties of whey protein, both in humans and animals. Despite this evidence, new researches, as well as the development of new whey protein-enriched foods to increase their consumption by the population, are necessary to check their real effectiveness.