Influence of whey protein and its hydrolysate on prehypertension and postprandial hyperglycaemia in adult men

The effects of pre-meal consumption of whey protein isolate (WPI) and its hydrolysate (WPH) on blood pressure in pre-hypertensive and post-meal plasma responses in type 2 diabetic subjects were investigated. In a placebo-controlled double-blind randomised study, ten male patients with type 2 diabetes received dosages of WPI or WPH (0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 g kg−1 body weight). Ingestion of 0.2 g kg−1 WPH or 0.4 g kg−1 WPI markedly promoted insulin secretion leading to a major reduction (p < 0.01) in post-challenge plasma glucose response. Plasma insulin concentration increased significantly (p < 0.05) only in the 0.4 g kg−1 WPH trial concomitant with returning the glucose level to the normal range 2 h after the meal. Neither WPH nor WPI (21 g day−1) caused a significant reduction (p > 0.05) in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure of pre-hypertensive subjects over the one-week administration.