Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Apr 21;7(5):1857-1864.
doi: 10.1002/fsn3.1040. eCollection 2019 May.

Effect of whey protein on blood pressure in pre- and mildly hypertensive adults: A randomized controlled study

Jing Yang  1   2 , Hai-Peng Wang  3 , Xing Tong  2 , Zeng-Ning Li  4 , Jia-Ying Xu  5 , Li Zhou  1 , Bing-Yuan Zhou  3 , Li-Qiang Qin  2
Affiliations

Effect of whey protein on blood pressure in pre- and mildly hypertensive adults: A randomized controlled study

Jing Yang et al. Food Sci Nutr. .

Abstract

In China, the frequency of mild hypertension cases remains prevalently high. Meanwhile, diets containing functional ingredients that control blood pressure have received considerable attention. In this randomized, controlled intervention study, 65 participants were randomly assigned to consume 30 g of whey protein or maltodextrin daily for 12 weeks. Blood pressure, body composition, biochemical analysis in plasma, and flow-mediated dilation (FMD), an index for evaluating endothelial function, were measured. Finally, 54 participants (27 participants in each group) completed the study. At the end of the intervention, the average systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 129.5 ± 7.7 mmHg in the control group and 128.2 ± 6.9 mmHg in the whey protein group (p = 0.052). In the overweight and obese participants, the SBP was significantly lower in the whey protein group than in the control group (126.5 ± 6.9 mmHg vs. 128.8 ± 7.4 mmHg, p = 0.033), and body fat, fat percentage, and waist circumference significantly decreased in the whey protein group (p = 0.010, 0.016, 0.019, respectively). No difference was observed between the control and whey protein groups with regard to the changes in plasma lipids, inflammatory cytokines, antioxidative indexes, endothelium-1, nitric oxide, angiotensin II, and angiotensin-converting enzyme. The increase in FMD was significantly higher in the whey protein group than in the control group (5.2% vs. 0.3%, p = 0.040). In conclusion, whey protein significantly decreased SBP in pre- and mildly hypertensive adults, who are also overweight and obese. Whey protein also improved endothelial function. The lowering effect of blood pressure was probably related to body fat loss in these participants.

Keywords: blood pressure; body composition; endothelial function; hypertension; obesity; whey protein.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of subject inclusion
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in blood pressure between the whey protein group and control group during the intervention. (a) Systolic blood pressure; (b) diastolic blood pressure
Figure 3
Figure 3
Changes in blood pressure over time between the whey protein and control groups stratified by BMI status. (a, b) Normal weight; (c, d) overweight and obesity. *p < 0.05 compared with control group
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in flow‐mediated dilation (%) before and after the intervention between the whey protein and control groups. *p < 0.05 compared with control group
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Avila, E. T. P. , da Rosa Lima, T. , Tibana, R. A. , de Almeida, P. C. , Fraga, G. A. , de Souza Sena, M. , … Voltarelli, F. A. (2018). Effects of high‐protein diet containing isolated whey protein in rats submitted to resistance training of aquatic jumps. Nutrition, 53(1), 85–94. 10.1016/j.nut.2018.01.018 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ballard, K. D. , Kupchak, B. R. , Volk, B. M. , Mah, E. , Shkreta, A. , Liptak, C. , … Volek, J. S. (2013). Acute effects of ingestion of a novel whey‐derived extract on vascular endothelial function in overweight, middle‐aged men and women. British Journal of Nutrition, 109(5), 882–893. 10.1017/S0007114512002061 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brunström, M. , & Carlberg, B. (2018). Association of blood pressure lowering with mortality and cardiovascular disease across blood pressure levels: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(1), 28–36. 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.6015 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chinese Nutrition Society (2016). The chinese dietary guidelines (pp. 334–335). Beijing, China: People's Medical Publishing House Co., LTD.
    1. Claessens, M. , van Baak, M. A. , Monsheimer, S. , & Saris, W. H. (2009). The effect of a low‐fat, high‐protein or high‐carbohydrate ad libitum diet on weight loss maintenance and metabolic risk factors. International Journal of Obesity, 33, 296–304. 10.1038/ijo.2008.278 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources