A study published in the American Journal of Physiology—Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology shows that the protein glycomacropeptide (GMP) may be used as an alternative protein source for those suffering with phenylketonuria and may improve gastrointestinal health. GMP is derived from whey—the liquid by-product of the cheese-making process—and contains low amounts of the amino acid phenylalanine.
Those will phenylketonuria—a metabolic disorder that causes cognitive impairment when phenylalanine level is too high—can use GMP as an alternative protein source. According to the researchers, GMP supplementation has also been observed to improve gastrointestinal health by protecting the digestive system from pathogens and by having an anti-inflammatory effect. The study shows that the protein is a prebiotic; it causes changes to the gut microbiota that benefit the host. The researchers observed that mice that ate GMP as their protein source had fewer bacteria associated with inflammatory bowel disease, enhanced gastrointestinal function, and reduced inflammation.
“There is considerable evidence that dietary prebiotics modulate the gastrointestinal microbiota with therapeutic applications to conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and bone health,” wrote the researchers. “Palatable functional and medical foods can be made with GMP, and such foods may be beneficial in the management of phenylketonuria, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease.”
