Does whey protein curb hunger?
A little, over the longer term. In the 3 longer-term reports in a review of 8, appetite fell slightly; in short tests, whey was no better than carbohydrate.
What the studies found
“The meta-analysis showed a significant reduction in long term appetite by 4.13 mm in combined appetite score (CAS) (95% Confidence interval (CI): -6.57, -1.96; p = 0.001).”
“compared with carbohydrate, the reduction in appetite following consumption of whey consumption was not significant”
The details
- What the trials used
- The review's abstract does not give the doses. These are the doses studied, not advice on what to take.
- Who was studied
- Adults in randomised trials of whey protein.
- Worth knowing
- The review measured appetite, not body weight.
Before you try it
If you take any medicine or have a health condition, ask a pharmacist or doctor before adding a supplement. This page doesn’t link to any product.
How we checked this
This answer comes from one finding on our site, and that finding has been re-checked: each linked study was confirmed on PubMed and read against the finding’s grade, direction and study count. We then read every abstract ourselves on 7 November 2026 and wrote the answer from them, then checked it against recent reviews; the quotes above are copied word for word. If the finding changes, this answer is hidden until it is checked again. How we grade.