Benefits of Whey Protein for Women
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If your goal is to be healthy and fit, whey protein can play a pivotal role in your diet. But what exactly is whey protein, and how does it benefit women? Let’s look at how whey protein works and the many positives it brings to women looking to be more fit. The goal of this article is to teach you exactly what whey protein is, how it’s produced, the benefits of it for women, and how to use it optimally.
Protein is arguably the most important macronutrient for body composition and overall health purposes, even if you’re not an active gym-goer. The myriad functions protein has in the human body include neurotransmission, energy production, cardiovascular function, immune system regulation; protein is also the key regulator/substrate for building and repairing tissues (such as muscle).1
WHAT IS WHEY PROTEIN?
All proteins are made up of amino acids, and whey is one of nature’s few complete sources of protein (meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids that humans must obtain through diet). Whey protein has chemical properties that make it readily soluble in liquid environments and over varying pH ranges. Whey refers to the milk serum byproduct produced during the curdling of milk.
Whey proteins comprise roughly 20% of the protein content in dairy milk, with the rest being casein proteins.3Many dairy products, such as low-fat milk, cottage cheese, cream, and others are made by utilizing the functional characteristics of whey.
For example, the gel-like texture of cheese arises primarily from coagulation of casein proteins – which are insoluble at acidic pH – after the whey fractions are removed (though there is still some whey in certain cheeses).
When treated with high heats, such as in baking, whey goes through a process called denaturation (i.e. unfolding of the protein structure) that causes it solidify.2 This property makes whey a great substitute/addition to many recipes for enhancing protein content and taste.
HOW WHEY PROTEIN IS PRODUCED
Whey itself contains whey proteins, lactose, small amounts of fat, and various micronutrients. The beginning process for creating whey protein is membrane filtration, such as microfiltration or ultra-filtration.4Once filtered, the whey is spray dried and microencapsulated into a powdered product which is then usually altered by the manufacturer with specific food flavoring, coloring, etc… since plain whey is a bit gritty and nutty tasting.
Types of Whey Protein Powders
• Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC): Produced by the ultra-filtration of whey, WPC is whey protein that contains less than 90% protein concentration, and could be as low as 20%. Usually the exact proportion of whey will be notated following the term “WPC” such as WPC “70.” The rest of the powder is made up of lactose, fat, and micronutrients.
• Whey Protein Isolate (WPI): May be produced by a variety of membrane filtration techniques, with the goal of reaching >90% protein concentration and removal of most (if not all) lactose. Manufacturers will also often combine filtration with an ion-exchange technique to selectively filter out particles by their ionic charge rather than just molecular size.
BENEFITS OF WHEY PROTEIN FOR WOMEN
Recall from earlier that amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and proteins are subsequently the building blocks of muscle tissue since muscles are where the body stores most amino acids. Whey protein is a complete protein with a large proportion of the amino acid L-leucine. L-leucine has been found to be a key substrate for stimulating the Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway which regulates muscle protein synthesis (MPS).5 Moreover, there are a multitude of benefits females can derive from supplemental whey protein that stem from the biological role of essential amino acids; these benefits include:[6,7]
• Increased anabolic effects of resistance exercise• Support of lean body mass
• Rapidly absorbed and easy to digest
• Simple/convenient to add to one’s diet and use in recipes
• Boost immune system function
• Reduces muscle tissue breakdown (catabolism)
HOW MUCH WHEY PROTEIN SHOULD WOMEN USE?
Research is ongoing as to how much protein is optimal (especially in active individuals). In general, it is recommended to ingest at least 1 gram of protein per pound of your lean body mass. As an example, if you’re a female who is 15% body-fat and weigh 120lbs, then you should aim for roughly 100 grams of protein per day. This is where a whey protein supplement can come in handy as reaching that amount through whole-food sources may be hard to accomplish for some females.
WHICH TYPE OF WHEY PROTEIN IS BEST?
There is no “best” whey protein as choosing the right whey protein for you ultimately comes down to several factors including budget, quality/flavor desired, lactose tolerability, and what you are using the product for.
Here is a summary of the pros and cons of each type of whey protein powder:
• Pros and cons of whey protein concentrate (WPC)
WPC is a bit higher in fat and carbohydrate content, and for this reason tends to be a bit sweeter and creamier than WPI. There will be a small amount of lactose in most WPC products, so if you don’t tolerate milk sugar very well then your best bet is to stay clear of WPC.
• Pros and cons of whey protein isolate (WPI)
If you want a lactose-free, low-fat, and easily digested protein then WPI is tough to beat. A small drawback of WPI is that doesn’t have as sweet and creamy of a texture that WPC does (but this is subjective).

Whey protein is generally well tolerated by most females, but many supplement companies these days use low-quality production methods and sources for their protein powders, which increases risk of certain side effects such as:
• Bloating/cramping/GI distress
• Increased bowel movements/flatulence
• Allergic reactions
• Nausea/headache
This is where Jamie Eason’s Whey Isolate for Her comes in, an all-natural source of pure whey protein isolate that tastes delicious and is great for any time of the day. Lean Body Whey Isolate for Her contains:
• 25 grams of high-quality protein per serving
• Only 3 grams of fat and sugar
• No gluten, lactose, artificial flavors, artificial colors, preservatives or artificial sweeteners