Whey Protein and the Immune

Whey Protein and the Immune System

The collection of globular proteins that can be separated from whey, a by-product of cheese manufacturing from cow's milk, are known as whey protein.

It is typically a mixture of beta-lactoglobulin (~65%), alpha-lactalbumin (~25%), and serum albumin (~8%), which are soluble in their native forms, independent of pH. Whey has the highest protein quality and biological utilization rate known of any protein ("Whey Protein"). One of the significant benefits, of whey protein, is its support of a healthy immune system.

There are three basic categories of foods often referred to as macronutrients: fats, carbohydrates and protein. Protein is derived from animal products, including animal by-products such as: eggs, milk and cheese.

This protein is necessary for a healthy body because it is comprised of amino acids, the building blocks of organs, muscles, neurotransmitters, and many other parts of the body necessary for health and survival.

Greeks used the word proteous, which means primary or taking first, for this nutrient. Proteins are primarily stored in muscle tissue (Oshman & Oshman).

The proteins that are eaten are broken down into amino acids. These amino acids are then utilized in a variety of ways.

New proteins are synthesized that build up structures such as internal and skeletal muscle tissue. Excess proteins are used as fuel and can even be stored as fat.

However, the quality of proteins is determined by its bioavailabilty, how efficiently the body can utilize the protein and amino acids for building muscle.

The Protein Digestibility-Corrected Amino Acid Score, or PDCAA, of whey protein is a nearly perfect PDCAA score of 1.0 (Oshman & Oshman).

According to the U.S. Dairy Export Council and Dr. Paul J. Cribb, whey proteins not only help build a strong body, but also have a positive effect on the immune function.

Whey protein includes a range of fractions such as alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin and the minor fractions such as lactoferrin and serum proteins. These fractions are established immuneenhancing components" ("Whey and HIV / AIDS").

In addition, recent research has shown that whey protein has a rich concentration of cysteine, which boosts glutathione (GSH) production. "GSH is an anti-oxidant required for a healthy immune system" ("Benefits of Whey").

The concentration of GSH regulates the body's antioxidant and immune defense system. Other protein sources simply do not have the ability to boost GSH production, as whey protein does. It is this GSH production boost that optimizes many aspects of the immune function. An abundance of cysteine to the liver, through the consumption of whey protein, will boost muscle glutamine production and help maintain immune competence ("Whey and HIV / AIDS").