Effect of whey protein supplementation on inflammatory mediators in type-2 Diabatic outpatients at Public Health Center 66, Health Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effect of whey protein supplementation on inflammatory mediators in type 2 diabetic outpatients at Public Health Center 66. The duration of the study was 10 weeks with 2 periods: a 4- week pre-experimental period and a 6-week experimental period. Thirty-six subjects participated in this study and were randomly assigned into WPI group (supplemented with 30 g/day of WPI) and control group (no WPI supplementation). Anthropometry, blood pressure, biochemical parameters, and inflammatory mediators were examined in all subjects before and after the experimental period. The results showed that the levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs- CRP) significantly correlated with interleukin (IL)-6 (r = 0.450, p < 0.05) in all subjects at baseline. There were no significant differences in anthropometry, blood pressure, biochemical parameters, and inflammatory mediator levels between the subjects in the WPI and control groups at baseline. However, after 6 weeks of WPI supplementation, the mean body weight, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, triglyceride of the subjects in the WPI group significantly decreased compared with baseline (p < 0.05), and the levels of measured inflammatory mediators (hs-CRP and IL-6) tended to decrease from baselines after WPI supplementation. The study indicated that WPI may ameliorate inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients. However, further studies are required to clarify the immune-modulating effect of whey protein.