Hydrolyzed Whey for Blood Lipid Control

Background. According to the American Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 94 million adults over the age of 20 have what could be considered borderline high cholesterol. Most of these people don't take drugs to lower cholesterol. Therefore, this group of people represent a target for other approaches to lowering cholesterol readings. This group can include people in the high end of acceptable range since they can run the risk of getting into borderline high readings. A nutritional product could be part of a plan to keep cholesterol readings in the normal range.

Whey protein could comprise such a product. This protein gets used in many protein powders, ready-to-drink beverages and bars. However, whey does not have a simple and consistent record for lowering cholesterol readings. Even with the studies giving positive results, only indirect effects may occur. This can happen by whey replacing fat and high glycemic index carbohydrate foods, or by impacting satiety.

In contrast, this project tests the proposition that certain versions of hydrolyzed whey can directly exert a modest but useful action on cholesterol readings. The applicant has found this in a small unpublished study in older exercisers. In addition, a retracted study has shown that in people with pre-hypertension or moderate hypertension, hydrolyzed whey can reduce total and LDL cholesterol readings. A decrease of 29 mg/dL for total cholesterol despite only moderately high starting cholesterol values).

Although this data is useful, it is based only an unpublished study and a retracted paper. Also, the two populations studied were somewhat narrow. Thus, a new study is now going to be done in a fairly broad population. Positive results in this and possible subsequent research could be applied to products quickly since no drug claim is needed. The Dietary Supplement and Education Act (DSHEA) allows for structure function claims of helping maintain blood lipids in the normal range.

As a side note, hydrolyzed whey protein could also reduce low level general inflammation. This process, which falls below what's seen with inflammatory diseases or injury, can raise the risk for many long term health problems. Drugs are not generally employed to minimize this type of inflammation. So, as with moderately high TG readings, relatively safe and inexpensive non-drug alternatives can be sought (including nutritional supplements).