ergo-log.com

Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

27.03.2025

Whey peptide beta-lactolin stops worrying and reduces stress

Beta-lactolin, a peptide present in small amounts in whey, improves memory function, according to Japanese research. We wrote about this three years ago. Today we write about interesting human study from Japan. In this research, beta-lactolin reduces psychological stress and anxiety.

Beta-lactolin
You can see the chemical structure of beta-lactolin here. It is a chain of four amino acids - glycine, threonine, tryptophan and tyrosine. In whey, it is mainly found in the protein fraction of beta-lactoglobulin.

In animal studies, beta-lactolin can reach parts of the brain where it can inhibit the enzyme monoamine oxidase-B. This increases the concentration and activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine. [Neurobiol Aging. 2018 Dec:72:23-31.]

The Japanese food company Kirin has been working on beta-lactolin for several years. Kirin's R&D department is studying whether functional foods with beta-lactolin [which Kirin markets itself, by the way] have a positive effect on learning processes, motivation, mood and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease..

Study
The research we are discussing today also comes from Kirin. It was published in Scientific Reports in 2024. A sloppy four dozen test subjects aged 45-64 participated in the study.

What the test subjects had in common was that although they were healthy, they were not feeling very well. In their daily lives, they were plagued by worries and feelings of boredom.

The researchers gave half of the test subjects a tablet with 1 gram of whey extract every day for 6 weeks. This contained 1.6 milligrams of beta-lactolin.

Results
In both groups, the subjects worried less about everyday things. However, the reduction in worry was significantly greater in the group receiving beta-lactolin. The figure directly below shows this.

The figure below shows that the same was the case with feelings of stress.

At the same time, the subjects in the supplementation group felt more vital. This is shown in the figure above.

Conclusion
"The serial results propose an effective strategy for preventing a decline in mood state and onset of mood disorders through the establishment of daily dietary habits", summarize the Japanese.

Source:
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 8;14(1):23444.

More:
Beta-lactolin, the brain booster in camembert 10.03.2022

Archives:
Brain Boosters
Psychology

Quercetin reduces cortisol peak after stress A diet rich in flavonoids, or quercetin analogues, causes your body to make less of the muscle-destroying hormone cortisol after it has been exposed to psychological stress. Animal data.	L-Theanine, the complete stress buster You are healthy, but you have more stress than you like. You do not sleep well, your brain does not run as smoothly as it should and you feel a bit gloomy every now and then. Theanine to the rescue!	Fish oil reduces mental stress In 2003, nutritionists at the University of Lausanne published the results of an experiment in which a three-week course of fish oil kept low the stress hormone levels of subjects exposed to mental stress.