Alpha-lactalbumin is a type of natural whey protein that contains a naturally high amount of essential and the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), a unique protein source. Cysteine and tryptophan are the essential amino acids in alpha-lactalbumin. This is the predominant protein component in the case of breast milk, comprising up to 25% of the total protein that is found in human breast milk. This protein serves as many crucial functions from an immunological and physiological standpoint. This is a complete protein, has got high digestibility and also fat and lactose-free. In this article, some of the unknown facts about the alpha lactalbumin powder will be discussed.
Few facts to know about the alpha-lactalbumin supplement
Due to the high amount of amino acids, especially alpha-lactalbumin, and leucine effectively stimulates and supports muscle protein synthesis. This is an ideal protein source for improving muscle health and thus helps in preventing sarcopenia during aging.
This food protein containing a high amount of the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan, otherwise known as trp is the essential amino acid that can be obtained from the diet, and this cannot be synthesized in the body. Tryptophan is the precursor of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter and also functions as the predecessor to melatonin (a necessary hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle). Serotonin exerts some multiple effects and is implicated in the control of the mood, appetite, sleep regulation, cognitive performance, and the ability to cope with the stress. Some of the benefits of the alpha-lactalbumin supplement are:
- This amino acid is high in cysteine. Cysteine is the direct forefather of glutathione, which supports the immune system, repair and build the tissue, and also protects against the oxidative damage.
- This protein also provides a rich source of cysteine with a low level of methionine, and the source of cysteine from alpha-lactalbumin, specifically, supports digestion, absorption, and utilization of this vital amino acid.
Conclusion
Alpha Lactalbumin is the type of milk protein that constitutes over one-third of the total protein in human milk. Through some recent advances in food processing, the pure alpha-lactalbumin has become now commercially available, generating some new opportunities to research some of the use of alpha-lactalbumin in medical and nutritional applications. The most frequent use for alpha-lactalbumin or beta lactoglobulin are as a component of infant formula that is designed to be more similar to breast milk. This acts as a supplement to enhance sleep or improve mood in adults. However, this protein helps in cancer treatment or to enhance the immune response have also gathered interest. The modification in the protein composition of the infant formula by increasing its proportion of alpha-lactalbumin resulted in the growth patterns in infants that were very similar to those of breastfed infants, possibly because of a consequent reduction in the plasma concentrations of insulinogenic amino acids. The plasma tryptophan concentrations in the case of infants fed alpha-lactalbumin enriched formulas were more similar as compared to those of breastfed infants.
