ReviewNutrition reviews2018
Applications for α-lactalbumin in human nutrition.
Review in Nutrition reviews, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 109 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
109 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 296 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Dietary Factors on the Sleep of Athletically Trained Populations: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- Effect of long-term intake ofFrontiers in nutrition · 2026Trial
- Immunological effects of alpha-lactalbumin-enriched low-protein infant formula: A randomized controlled trial.Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition · 2025Trial
- Trial
- DHA Supplementation Attenuates Inflammation-Associated Gene Expression in the Mammary Gland of Lactating Mothers Who Deliver Preterm.The Journal of nutrition · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Impact of food supplements on early child development in children with moderate acute malnutrition: A randomised 2 x 2 x 3 factorial trial in Burkina Faso.PLoS medicine · 2020Trial
- Bibliometric Analysis of Milk Protein Gene Expression Regulation Using CiteSpace and VOSviewer.Molecular biotechnology · 2026Review
- Integrated Protein-Lipid Digestion Profiles of Human Milk, Infant Formulas, and Dairy Ingredients Under Infant In Vitro Digestion.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Bovine Leukemia Virus as a One Health Challenge in Nutrition, Food Security, and Public Health: A Narrative Review.The Journal of nutrition · 2026Review
- Metabolomic Analysis of the Effects of Cysteamine Zinc on the Composition and Amino Acid Profile of Mare's Milk.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Transplastomic biofactory for the production of functional human α-lactalbumin for nutritional and therapeutic applications.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Serotonin, Kynurenine, and Indole Pathways of Tryptophan Metabolism in Humans in Health and Disease.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Nexus of Whey Proteins, Gut Dysbiosis, and Colonic Health.Food science & nutrition · 2026Review
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Revisited: Novel Insights and Updates.International journal of medical sciences · 2026Review
- UsingGut microbes reports · 2026Article
- Comparative effects of pea protein vs. dairy proteins (α-lactalbumin and casein) on aminoacidemia, exercise performance, gut microbiota, hormonal responses, neurocognitive function, mood, and metabolic-inflammatory responses in older adults.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Association between the digestion-resistant bioactive peptide content in dairy products and the risk of sarcopenia in Iranian elderly: a case-control study.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2025Article
- Bioactive Protein Profile and Compositional Evolution of Donkey Milk Across Lactation Reflecting Its Nutritional and Functional Food Value.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
49 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
α-Lactalbumin is a whey protein that constitutes approximately 22% of the proteins in human milk and approximately 3.5% of those in bovine milk. Within the mammary gland, α-lactalbumin plays a central role in milk production as part of the lactose synthase complex required for lactose formation, which drives milk volume. It is an important source of bioactive peptides and essential amino acids, including tryptophan, lysine, branched-chain amino acids, and sulfur-containing amino acids, all of which are crucial for infant nutrition. α-Lactalbumin contributes to infant development, and the commercial availability of α-lactalbumin allows infant formulas to be reformulated to have a reduced protein content. Likewise, because of its physical characteristics, which include water solubility and heat stability, α-lactalbumin has the potential to be added to food products as a supplemental protein. It also has potential as a nutritional supplement to support neurological function and sleep in adults, owing to its unique tryptophan content. Other components of α-lactalbumin that may have usefulness in nutritional supplements include the branched-chain amino acid leucine, which promotes protein accretion in skeletal muscle, and bioactive peptides, which possess prebiotic and antibacterial properties. This review describes the characteristics of α-lactalbumin and examines the potential applications of α-lactalbumin for human health.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.