Mixed
Whey protein supplementation combined with resistance training is less effective in individuals with pathological conditions compared to healthy individuals, showing no significant improvement in lean mass, fat mass, or muscular strength.
If you have a chronic health condition, adding whey protein to your resistance training may not improve your muscle mass, fat loss, or strength. You may need to explore specialized nutritional strategies, such as multi-nutrient supplements enriched with vitamin D and leucine, which have shown benefits in some elderly or mobility-limited populations.
WP-RT increased lean body mass... but not in individuals with a pathological condition (MD −0.34 kg [−0.85, 0.17]; p=0.19)... WP-RT significantly decreased fat mass in healthy individuals... but in individuals with a pathological condition there was an increase in fat mass rather (0.56 kg [−0.04, 1.16]; p=0.07)... WP-RT significantly improved muscular strength in healthy individuals... but not in individuals with a pathological condition (SMD −0.14 [−0.35, 0.06]; p=0.18).
Why this rating
Based on subgroup analysis, but the number of studies for pathological conditions was small (only 4 studies mentioned in limitations).
Source
Effect of whey protein supplementation during resistance training sessions on body mass and muscular strength: a meta-analysis
Meng Li et al. · Food & Function · 2019
DOI 10.1039/c9fo00182d
More from this paper
- Whey protein supplementation combined with resistance training significantly improves lean mass, fat mass, and muscular strength in healthy individuals, but fails to produce these benefits in individuals with pathological conditions.Good
- Whey protein supplementation combined with resistance training significantly improves body composition (lean mass gain and fat mass loss) and muscular strength specifically in individuals under 40 years of age, but not in older individuals.Good
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