Whey protein and strength in postmenopausal women
What it found
In postmenopausal women, whey protein supplements improved biceps curl strength and lower limb lean mass only when combined with resistance training.
Without resistance training, whey protein had no clear benefit on muscle strength or lean mass.
What they found
Studies in people
Biceps curl strength
In the resistance training subgroup, women taking whey protein had a significant increase in biceps curl strength compared to those not taking it. Without resistance training, no such effect was seen.
Lower limb lean mass
In the resistance training subgroup, whey protein significantly increased lower limb lean mass. Without resistance training, no significant effect on lean mass was found.
Other strength measures
Whey protein made no significant difference to knee flexion strength, grip strength, knee extension strength, chest press, gait speed, or rising from a sitting position, either with or without resistance training.
Fat mass and body weight
Whey protein did not significantly change fat mass or body weight loss in either the resistance training or no resistance training subgroups.
Protein intake without training
In the subgroup without resistance training, whey protein significantly reduced daily protein intake from food. This may be because the supplement replaced some protein that would have been eaten otherwise.
Protein intake with training
In the resistance training subgroup, whey protein significantly increased daily protein intake. The authors say this may be because resistance training raises the body's need for protein.
What the authors conclude
“In postmenopausal women, WP supplementation only in combination with RT enhances BC and LLLM compared to placebo controls. Without RT, WP has no significant benefit on muscle strength or lean mass.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that in postmenopausal women, whey protein supplementation only in combination with resistance training improves biceps curl strength and lower limb lean mass compared to placebo.
- They state that without resistance training, whey protein has no significant benefit on muscle strength or lean mass.
- They advise that more large scale randomized controlled trials are needed to better understand the effects of whey protein combined with resistance training.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see whether whey protein helps postmenopausal women, since older women generally have less muscle mass and strength and eat less protein than men. They also wanted to know if resistance training makes a difference.
They searched three databases for randomized controlled trials of whey protein in women aged 55 and above, published up to August 2021. They included 14 studies in the review and 10 in the meta-analysis, with 776 participants in total. Most studies lasted 12 weeks, ranging from 10 to 72 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- The review included only a small number of studies, so some results may not show a significant effect.
- The quality of evidence for biceps curl strength and lower limb lean mass was low and moderate, respectively, and some risk of bias was present.
- The studies varied in duration and participant characteristics, so the results should be interpreted with caution.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Taipei Medical University, Taiwan; Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taiwan; Cathay General Hospital, Taiwan
The paper
- Title
- Effect of Whey Protein Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Type
- Systematic review and meta-analysisThe authors follow a set, published method to find every relevant study, then combine the numbers from them into one result.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Kuo YY, Chang HY, Huang YC, Liu CW (2022). Effect of Whey Protein Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu14194210Free full textPubMed 36235862DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error