Whey Protein Helps Prevent Breast Cancer


Dr. Reza Hakkak, Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, found that whey and soy protein may help prevent breast cancer. This research, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, featured in the journal of Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention (Jan., 2000). Dr. Hakkak looked at chemically induced mammary tumors in rats fed a diet containing casein, a major milk protein; whey, a minor milk protein; or soy, a plant-derived protein found in tofu, tempah, soybeans and several other foods. As expected, all rats fed a diet containing casein as the only source of protein developed mammary tumors. However, only 77 percent of rats in the soy group developed one or more tumors and about 54 percent of rats in the whey group developed at least one tumor. Overall, the study found that soy protein decreased the incidence of mammary tumors by about 20 percent and that whey protein was about twice as effective as soy in this regard.

Following is a brief outline of the benefits of knowing and consuming your exact protein requirements. 

Why Is Protein So Important?
The human body is mainly made of protein: your hair, nails, blood, bones, muscles, organs, ligaments, immune system and nerves all are made of protein. In the course of living, these tissues break down, wear out and must be regularly replaced and repaired. To do that job, you must provide your body with a steady supply of high-quality protein.

If you skimp on protein in the mistaken belief that fewer calories of any kind will make you lose weight faster, you'll be severely disappointed. Clearly calories do count with the Healthy Living Program™ but when you're trying to encourage your body to burn stored fat, skimping on protein foods works against you for three important reasons:

1. Protein keeps your metabolic rate high. Because the body understands that protein is its most critical nutrient, it keys its metabolic rate, the number of calories it uses each day, to the amount of protein it receives.

2. Protein satisfies your appetite. Research has shown that the meal interval, the length of time your appetite is satisfied between meals, depends on the quality and the quantity of the protein of your most recent meal.

3. Protein preserves your lean body mass, the part of your body that uses calories. The more your lean body weighs, the more calories it takes in a day to run it. If you cut back on protein, you may lose some of these metabolically active, calorie-using pounds. That's weight loss, certainly but not the kind you want. For good health and easier maintenance of your goal weight, you want to lose excess fat.

Protein Burns Body Fat
The saturated fats from less-lean sources of protein such as burgers, sausage, cheese and bacon clog up your arteries and slow your metabolism. Lean protein sources, such as whey protein powder drinks, egg whites, skinless chicken and turkey breasts, actually stoke the fat- burning fires because of its powerful "thermic effect", the number of calories burned through eating, digesting and metabolizing of protein. Between 20 to 30 % of the calories in protein are expended just by processing it, compared to between 3-12 % for carbohydrates and about 2 % for fat. Consuming a whey protein drink in combination with resistance exercise helps build muscle. In turn, adding more muscle, even just a small amount, will enable your body to burn fat more readily.

Benefits of Whey Protein Powder
The highest quality protein comes from whey, a natural byproduct of the cheese making process. Whey is a complete protein because it contains all essential and non-essential amino acids. When it's processed properly, all lactose and fats are filtered out. Whey protein has the highest biological value (BV) of all proteins. BV is a measure that indicates how much of the protein you eat is actually absorbed, retained and used in the body as opposed to the amount that passes out of the body unused. One reason the BV of whey protein is so high is that it has the highest concentrations of glutamine, an amino acid and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) found in nature. Glutamine and branched-chain amino acids are critical to cellular health and protein synthesis. Glutamine, the most abundant amino acid in the body, is involved in more metabolic processes than any other amino acid. Glutamine has been shown to heal peptic ulcers, enhance energy levels, boost immune functions and fight infections.

Whey Protein Powder Recommendations
Dr. Michael Murray, author of How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine, says, "we recommend that patients obtain their glutamine by taking daily doses of 20 to 30 grams of whey-protein concentrate twice a day. We believe that acquiring glutamine from whey protein provides additional benefit over simply taking glutamine. Whey protein is more beneficial because it contains other compounds (called fractions and peptides) that are known to improve immune function and boost glutathione concentrations."

Other Benefits of Whey Protein

• Increases serotonin activity, the body's "antidepressive" neurotransmitter.
• Reduces cortisol concentration levels.
• Improves mood and memory loss under stress.
• Helps to build lean body mass.
• Helps to reduce body fat.

• Am J Clin Nutr 2000 Jun 7 (6): 1536-44
• Am J Phsiol Endocrinol Metab 2002: 283; E565-E572
• Miller AL, Therapeutic considerations of L-glutamine: a review of the literature. Altern Med Rev 1999; 4:239-48