EFFECTS OF WHEY PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTATION PLUS EXERCISE ON HDL - CHOLESTEROL IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE ADULTS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Resumo

Overweight and obesity are assoc iated with relevant cardiometabolic disturbances, including dyslipidaemia and increased cardiovascular risk, which has encouraged the investigation of interventions combining exercise and nutritional supplementation. Among these strategies, whey protein ha s been proposed as a potential adjunct to improve metabolic markers; however, its additional effects on lipid profile remain uncertain. This study aimed to synthesise the available evidence on the effects of whey protein supplementation combined with exerc ise on HDL - cholesterol in adults with overweight or obesity. A systematic review with meta -analysis of randomised controlled trials was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines and registered in PROSPERO. Searches were performed in EMBASE, LILACS, CINAHL, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science up to January 2026. Studies involving adults with overweight or obesity receiving whey protein supplementation combined with structured exercise programmes, compared with placebo or exercis e alone, were eligible. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool, and certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE framework. Seven randomised controlled trials were included in the qualitative synthesis, and three contributed to the meta-analysis of the HDL -cholesterol outcome. The pooled analysis showed a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol favouring the intervention with whey protein plus exercise, with a mean difference of 6.05 mg/dL, 95% confidence interval from 1.29 to 10.80, p=0.01, and no observed heterogeneity. Despite this finding, the remaining lipid outcomes did not show consistent benefits, and the certainty of evidence for HDL -cholesterol was rated as very low. In conclusion, whey protein supplementation combined with exercise may increase HDL-cholesterol in adults with overweight or obesity, but this finding should be interpreted cautiously given the small number of studies, limited sample size, and methodological weaknesses of the included trials.