Effect of Whey Supplementation on Circulating C-Reactive Protein: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Nutrients

Ling-Mei Zhou²  Jia-Ying Xu³  Chun-Ping Rao¹  Shufen Han²  Zhongxiao Wan² 

[1] Suzhou Health College, 28 Kehua Road, Suzhou 215009, China; E-Mail:;Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Suzhou 215123, China; E-Mails:;Key Laboratory of Radiation Biology, School of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Suzhou 215123, China; E-Mail:

关键词: whey protein;    C-reactive protein;    randomized controlled trial;    meta-analysis;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu7021131

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Whey supplementation is beneficial for human health, possibly by reducing the circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) level, a sensitive marker of inflammation. Thus, a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted to evaluate their relationship. A systematic literature search was conducted in July, 2014, to identify eligible studies. Either a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model was used to calculate pooled effects. The meta-analysis results of nine trials showed a slight, but no significant, reduction of 0.42 mg/L (95% CI −0.96, 0.13) in CRP level with the supplementation of whey protein and its derivates. Relatively high heterogeneity across studies was observed. Subgroup analyses showed that whey significantly lowered CRP by 0.72 mg/L (95% CI −0.97, −0.47) among trials with a daily whey dose ≥20 g/day and by 0.67 mg/L (95% CI −1.21, −0.14) among trials with baseline CRP ≥3 mg/L. Meta-regression analysis revealed that the baseline CRP level was a potential effect modifier of whey supplementation in reducing CRP. In conclusion, our meta-analysis did not find sufficient evidence that whey and its derivates elicited a beneficial effect in reducing circulating CRP. However, they may significantly reduce CRP among participants with highly supplemental doses or increased baseline CRP levels.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.