Can drinking whey protein help you build muscle and lose weight? The data says this

Do you have enough muscles in your body? Sufficient muscle mass can not only increase the body's basal metabolic rate, reduce fat accumulation, and assist in weight loss and fat loss, but also strengthen bones, prevent sports injuries and sarcopenia, and has many benefits. Recently, it is said that eating more "whey protein" can help you grow muscles. Is it that simple? Research data speaks for itself!

Complete protein! Moderate supplementation of whey protein can help improve body functions

Whey protein is a kind of protein. It is the liquid that floats on the surface when milk is made into cheese. It also contains a small amount of lactose, fat and minerals. The powdered whey protein products commonly found on the market are made by taking whey protein liquid and undergoing special processing.

When consulting the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare for the Weekly Report on Drug and Food Safety, You Weiming, a nutritionist at St. Martin's Hospital, said that whey protein, like eggs, meat, seafood, soy products and other foods, is a complete protein that can help the body effectively build or repair damaged tissues, increase muscle mass or delay muscle decline. Therefore, it is a good nutritional supplement for the elderly with insufficient muscle mass and weak muscles, and people who do not get enough protein from their diet.

Can drinking whey protein help you grow muscles? Two major influencing factors: age and exercise!

However, can you build muscle just by drinking whey protein? In fact, the key to this "muscle" secret must be determined by which life cycle we are in: infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood or old age!

Even if you drink whey protein as much as you can after adulthood, it has little effect on increasing muscle mass. You must combine it with exercise to increase muscle mass.

Nutritionist You Weiming said that from birth to around 25 years old, the human body is in the growth and development stage, and providing sufficient calories and complete protein can indeed grow muscles. However, the body stops developing after the age of 25. At this time, simply supplementing calories and protein can only achieve the effect of "maintaining" and "delaying" muscle loss, but cannot more actively "increase" muscle mass. This statement can also be supported by recent studies.

A 2017 study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that compared with 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, adults who consumed 1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight did not significantly increase muscle mass; however, those who consumed 0.8 grams and 1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight and did resistance exercise three times a week actually increased their muscle mass significantly. From this we can see that even if people drink whey protein desperately after adulthood, the effect of increasing muscle is very poor, and it must be combined with exercise to increase muscle mass.

Eating is not enough! To maintain your muscles and keep healthy, start moving!

Unfortunately, modern people’s daily activities are mostly static, such as watching TV, scrolling through mobile phones, sitting for long periods of time, etc., which prevents muscle fibers from being damaged, and naturally there is no subsequent "stimulation of new muscle growth". Nutritionist You Weiming, who loves sports, reminds us that if our muscles do not bear resistance, they will shrink, and muscle loss or sarcopenia will occur over time. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct muscle strength and endurance training of appropriate intensity, such as swimming, walking, mountain climbing, cycling, etc., combined with a healthy diet, which will not only keep muscles healthy, but also help increase physical fitness and maintain an ideal weight.