I get different brands of whey protein shakes. I drink one a day, between meals are as a small meal substitute. I get different brands from my local "health food store", often by what is on sale. I noticed some make me lose weight, others do not.
Being curious, I read and logged the "nutrition facts" and ingredients on the labels and after more than a year I guessed that the weight losing ingredient was
Lactoferrin
Over the last month I gained 6 pounds. The only thing different I was drinking a shake without lactoferrin and when I finished that (I don't waste food) I got another brand with lactoferrin and in 8 days, without changing anything else in my diet I lost all 6 pounds.
So after a few different brands, reviewing my logs, and suspecting the only difference was the lactoferrin, I did some searching and found this (published in 2014):
Weight Loss Benefits of Lactoferrin
Quote:
Lactoferrin is well known for its immune-supportive properties.1-3 Surprising new research is uncovering an unexpected benefit—that lactoferrin might help humans shed body fat as well.
Lactoferrin’s ability to reduce body fat was first discovered at the cellular level. In these studies, researchers found that lactoferrin can help fight against obesity by inhibiting the accumulation of fat in fat cells and by inhibiting the formation of new fat cells (a process called adipogenesis ).
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Another study in mice found that a lactoferrin-rich whey protein isolate prevents obesity by inhibiting weight gain, and fights obesity by enhancing fat loss.
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New research is showing that lactoferrin might help humans shed body fat as well. One indicator is that higher blood levels of lactoferrin are associated with lower BMI (body mass index, an indicator of obesity), lower waist-to-hip ratio, and lower fasting triglyceride (blood fat) and glucose concentrations.1
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A number of studies confirm this finding as well. In one notable study, healthy men and women between 22 and 60 years old supplemented with 300 mg of lactoferrin tablets a day for 8 weeks. Subjects were told to maintain their regular food habits. Compared to the placebo group, the group taking the lactoferrin supplement experienced a significant 12.3% reduction in intra-abdominal (visceral) fat. The lactoferrin group also showed significant decreases in body weight (-3.3 lb), BMI (-0.6), hip circumference (-1 inch), and waist circumference (-1.7 inches). The placebo group, on the other hand, gained 2.2 pounds.
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The article goes on and on, click the link to read the entire article and read the references.
So I went out and bought a bottle of 300mg lactoferrin capsules from Life Extension company, and I can choose the whey shake that provides the best flavor and not worry about the lactoferrin. It's not easy to find brands with that on the label, and they are not always the best tasting ones.
My goal weight has always been 185 pounds, but since I started drinking the whey protein, I drifted down to 179-180 for the first time in decades. With the last shake I went from 180 to 186. Adding the lactoferrin back took those 6 pounds off in 9 days and I'm back to 180, hoping to be 179 tomorrow.
Of course it's a milk problem, so people with sensitivities might want to avoid it, and of course, if you try it, you are on your own (I'm not qualified to give medical advice).
Bob