Whey proteins are an excellent protein source for everyone - no matter what their age. From a nutritional perspective, whey proteins are hard to beat. Over 60 percent of their make-up is essential amino acids. Because the body is unable to make essential amino acids, they must be provided daily through diet.

There are top reasons why adding whey to your diet is very much desirable.

1. Whey Supports your Immune System
   Whey proteins contain high levels of the amino acid cysteine, which is needed to help the body produce gluthatione. Gluthathione is a powerful anti-oxidant and plays a key role in maintaining immune health. In fact, one of the first symptoms often noticed in individuals with autoimmune diseases, such as HIV is a decline in gluthathione levels. Dr. Gustavo Bounous, a pioneer in whey protein research, has conducted numerous studies to learn more about the positive effects of whey protein supplementation on individuals with various types of cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and HIV (Moreno YF, Sgarbieri VC, da Silva MN, et al. J Trop Pediatr. 2005 Jul 13). His positive results have inspired others to focus their own research on whey proteins. For example, one recent study found that whey proteins inhibited the growth of breast cancer cells (Nukumi N, Iwamori T, Naito K, Tojo H. J Reprod Dev. 2005 Jul27) while another study showed a reduction in the size of cancer tumors in patients consuming whey protein (Xu M, Suguira Y, Nagaoka S, Kanamanu Y. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2005 Jun; 69(6):1189-92) and can induced cell death of human prostate cancer cells (Kent, Harper, and Bomse; Toxicology In Vitro, February 2003, 17(1):27-33).
   
   
2. Whey Promotes Infant growth, development and survival
   Whey proteins contain alpha-lactalbumin, which is the main component in human breast milk. Reduce risk of atopic disease (allergies) in infants (Hays T, Wood RA. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005 Sep; 159(9):810-6). Lactoferrin in whey improves the intestinal flora of premature infants and patients with damaged intestinal mucous by suppressing the growth of pathogenic bacteria while promoting the multiplication of nonpathogenic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (Artym J, Zimecki M. Postepy Hig Med Dosw (Online). 2005 Aug 12; 59:421-32). Whey confers a high level of protection against cryptosporidiosis in newborn (Martin-Gomez S, Alvarez-Sanchez MA, Rojo-Vazquez FA. J Parasitol. 2005 Jun; 91(3):674-8). Feeding breastfed newborns with whey protein increases fecal bilirubin excretion and reduces jaundice without deleteriously affecting breastfeeding (Gourley Gr, Li Z, Kreamer BL, Kosorok MR. Pediatrics. 2005 Aug; 116(2):385-91). Whey supplementation can stimulate gluthathione synthesis and decrease the occurrence of associated co-infections in Children with Rapidly Progressive HIV Infection (Moreno YF, Sgarbieri VC, da Silva MN, Toro A, Vilela MM. J Trop Pediatr. 2005 Jul 13). Whey aids in the prevention of relapse of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (van Dissel JT, de Groot N, Hensgens CM, Numan S, Kuijper Ej, Veldkamp P, van't Wout J. J Med Microbiol. 2005 Feb; 54(Pt 2):197-205). According to the Journal of Pediatrics, whey protein have been shown to help reduce the duration of crying spells in infants with colic (Lucassen PL, Assendelft WJ, Gubbels JW, et al. Pediatrics 2000; 106:1349-1354, Wessel MA, Cobb JC, Jackson EB, et al. Pediatrics 1954; 14:421-435).
   
   
3. Whey's Benefit on Cardiovascular Health
   Certain specific types of hydrolyzed whey protein isolate show promise in helping to naturally reduce blood pressure (Murray BA, Walsh DJ, FitzGerald RJ. J Biochem Biophys Methods. 2004 May 31; 59(2):127-37). Addition of whey in meals with rapidly digested and absorbed carbohydrates stimulates insulin release and reduces postprandial blood glucose excursion in type 2 diabetic subjects (Frid AH, Nilsson M, Holst JJ, Bjorck IM Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Jul; 82(1):69-75). Milk intake and milk products like whey lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of hypertension (Ackley S, Barrett-Conner E, Suarez L. Am J Clin Nutr 1983; 38:457-461, Appel LJ, Moore TJ, Obarzanek E, et al. N Eng J Med 1997;336:1117-1124, Svetky LE Simons-Morton D, Vollmer WM, et al. Arch Intern Med 1999;159:285-293). Supplementation of whey showed significantly higher HDLs and lower triglycerides and systolic blood pressure than did the placebo group (Kawase M, HashimotoH, Hosoda M, et al. J Dairy Sci 2000;83:255-263).
   
   
4. Whey Enhances Physical Performance and Help Create a More Desirable Body Mass Composition.
   Whey improves body mass index in individuals participating in exercise programs (Burke DG, Chilibeck PD, Davidson KS, et al. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2001;11:349-364). Men engaged in resistance training programs while supplementing with whey protein concentrates showed greater improvements in strength than men using resistance training alone (Burke DG, Chilibeck PD, Davidson KS, et al. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2001;11:349-364). Whey protein supplementation improves work capacity and also caused decrease in percent body fat (Lands LC, Grey VL, Smountas AA. J Appl Physiol 1999;87:1381-1385). While moderate exercise enhances immunity (Davis JM, Murphy EA, Brown AS, et al. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2004;286:R366-R372), intense athletic training has been shown to stress the immune system (Nieman DC. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000;32:S406-S411, Mackinnon LT. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000;32:S369-S376, Nieman DC. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 1998;76:573-580). Free radical production and increased inflammatory activity are thought to contribute to impaired immune activity in over-trained athletes. In highly trained individuals muscular performance and recovery can be hindered by oxidative stress (Gohil K, Viguie C, Stanley WC, et al. J Appl Physiol 1988;64:115-119, Sastre J, Asensi M, Gasco E, et al. Am J Physiol 1992;263:R992-R995, Sen CK, Atalay M, Hanninen O. J Appl Physiol 1994;77:2177-2187). The availability of gluthathione has been shown to reduce oxidative stress (Monograph. Altern Med Rev 2001;6:601-607)