Muscle Diet

Q. Is it true that whey protein can actually help you burn fat?

A. Last issue, I wrote about all of the underreported health benefits that make whey protein one of the healthiest foods you can eat, how it can increase nitric oxide, and the importance of its biological value (BV). But whey protein also may be the best thing you can eat when dieting!

First, for those who still aren’t aware, protein is the number one food—in fact, maybe the number one thing—you can put in your mouth to safely achieve fat loss. I’ve been following the research on this for almost 15 years. That’s not only because bodybuilders and other athletes have been cutting carbs and increasing protein to get lean for decades but also because scientific studies started to support this strategy over 10 years ago.

The reasons for protein’s fat-loss effects are that it (1) increases metabolic rate more than carbs or fat (2) decreases hunger more than carbs or fat, and (3) maintains muscle when dieting more than fat or carbs (and more muscle means a higher metabolic rate and a lower calorie requirement)!

More recently, studies have showed that whey protein has stronger effects on appetite than other proteins. A review of scientific studies conducted at the University of Toronto on whey protein’s effects on hunger concluded that it decreased food intake more than other foods, other proteins, and a placebo. It also found that whey’s specific proteins and peptides are bioactive, leading to decreased hunger. Moreover, it showed that whey protein affects hormones and other bodily functions that decrease hunger.

But that’s just hunger. What about the actual results you can get from whey protein? Good question! A study in the Journal of Nutrition showed that whey protein outperformed both carbohydrates and soy protein, resulting in research subjects losing five more pounds of body fat and a loss of one inch around their waists! 

But isn’t whey protein for gaining muscle? Yes, and studies in which subjects used a whey-protein supplement show significant gains in muscle and strength, but when dieting, whey protein “spares muscle,” so you lose more fat and less lean mass!

The authors of a study published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism stated that research subjects using whey protein “lost significantly more body fat and showed a greater preservation of lean muscle.”

Finally, if all that weren’t enough, a very recent study published in the Journal of Nutrition showed that whey protein may help maintain fat loss even without restricting calorie intake! So really, whether you’re bulking, cutting up, trying to recover from exercise, or just taking it for general health, whey protein is one of the best foods to reach for, as well as being convenient to prepare and relatively cheap!

To read more of Mark Gilbert's work, check out FitnessInventor.com