Whey Beverages Decrease Elevated Blood Pressure in Younger People

PULLMAN, WAA number of bioactive peptides have been found in whey protein, including peptides with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity. Isolating these peptides and using them as ingredients might lead to the development of beverages with an antihypertensive effect, says research published this month in the International Dairy Journal.

ACE-inhibiting peptides derived from whey are called lactokinins and can be derived from both a-lactalbumin and b-lactoglobulin by using various enzymes. Peptides derived from food sources are thought to be safer and to have fewer side effects than drugs currently prescribed for hypertension treatment, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

Researchers at Washington State University, Pullman, WA, found that whey protein beverages reduced blood pressure in young men and women in a six-week controlled intervention. Test groups consumed 28 grams per day of either hydrolyzed or nonhydrolyzed whey protein in a beverage. While researchers found no significant differences in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), or mean arterial pressure (MAP) in the group as a whole, in young adults that exhibited elevated DBP and SBP, the whey beverage consumption significantly decreased SBP, DBP, and MAP by 8.0, 8.6, and 6.4 mm Hg, respectively. In those persons with elevated SBP only, SBP significantly decreased by 3.8 mm Hg after the whey beverage trial. There was no change in SBP, DBP, and MAP in test subjects with normal blood pressure. In addition, researchers found the whey-fortified beverages also significantly decreased total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations.

The scientists concluded that whey protein beverages might be useful for the dietary treatment of prehypertension and/or stage 1 hypertension. Excessive pressure on artery walls caused by hypertension can damage blood vessels, as well as organs in the body. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to heart attack or stroke, as well as other conditions.