Wheat protein

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Muscle building in older men³

  In older men, eating 35g of wheat protein built muscle less than casein, but 60g of wheat protein did build muscle.

• Benefit

  Muscle building after eating⁴

  In young men, eating wheat protein built muscle just as well as milk protein did.

Study type not stated

• Concern

  exercise-triggered allergic reaction⁵

  In some people, wheat protein triggers a severe allergic reaction when they exercise after eating it.

• Open question

  Oil in fried food⁶

  Wheat protein helps form a gluten network that may cut how much oil fried wheat foods soak up.

• Concern

  allergen risk in hydrolysates⁷

  Wheat protein enzymatic hydrolysates could still trigger allergic reactions in people allergic to wheat.

How it’s made and used

• allergy test accuracy²

  In children, wheat protein allergy tests could not tell apart those who reacted to wheat from those who did not.

• Plant-based vs pork⁸

  Seitan protein-based bacon had more protein than pork bacon in the study.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.