Whey protein supplements and possible harm to health
What it found
Long-term, heavy use of whey protein supplements was linked to kidney and liver problems in the studies reviewed.
Other papers linked it to worse aggression, acne and changes to gut bacteria.
What they found
Studies in people and animals
Kidneys and liver
Most of the papers tied damaging effects to long-term, heavy use of whey protein. The kidneys and liver were the main organs affected.
Aggression
Some studies linked whey protein to worse aggression.
Acne
Some studies linked whey protein to acne.
Gut bacteria
Some studies linked whey protein to changes in gut bacteria.
Other findings
Sedentary lifestyle
The authors say the adverse effects may be worse when heavy, long-term protein supplement use is combined with a sedentary lifestyle.
What the authors conclude
“Analysis revealed that chronic and without professional guidance use of whey protein supplementation may cause some adverse effects specially on kidney and liver function.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that excessive consumption over a long period of protein supplementation may have some adverse effects on the body, which is aggravated when associated with sedentary lifestyle.
- They say the data support a need for future studies co-relating the use of different types of whey protein with and without exercise to better see the impact on human physical health.
How it was done
Whey protein's benefits are well described, but the authors say there are not many studies looking at possible harmful effects of taking it without restraint.
They searched five electronic databases (Medline, LILACS, TOXNET, Web of science and Scopus) and found 11 documents to include in the review.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The review mixes experimental and randomised studies, so it cannot show that whey protein itself causes these effects.
- It cannot say how much whey protein, or how long it must be taken, before any effect appears.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Federal University of Ceara, Brazil; Ceará State University, Brazil
The paper
- Title
- Whey protein supplementation and its potentially adverse effects on health: a systematic review
- Type
- Systematic review
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Vasconcelos QDJS, Bachur TPR, Aragão GF (2021). Whey protein supplementation and its potentially adverse effects on health: a systematic review. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme. doi:10.1139/apnm-2020-0370PubMed 32702243DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error