Research
Mixed
Whey protein supplementation significantly increases biceps curl strength and lower limb lean mass in postmenopausal women, but ONLY when combined with resistance training.
If you are a postmenopausal woman looking to build muscle or strength, whey protein alone will not do it. You must combine whey protein (20-40g) with resistance training (2-3 times a week). The combination significantly boosts arm strength and leg muscle mass, whereas protein without exercise offers no muscle benefit.
GoodConditionalHIGH confidence
In the RT subgroup, WP supplementation had a significant positive effect on biceps curl strength (BC) (SMD: 0.6805, 95% CI: 0.176, 1.185, I2: 0%), and lower limb lean-mass (LLLM) (SMD: 1.103, 95% CI: 0.632, 1.574, I2: 14%).
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of RCTs with moderate to high quality evidence (GRADE) for specific outcomes.
Source
Effect of Whey Protein Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Yao-Yi Kuo et al. · Nutrients · 2022
DOI 10.3390/nu14194210
Meta-analysis · 10 studiesCited 19×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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