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Moderate evidenceJoints & skin

Milk Basic Protein (MBP)

A minor whey fraction, dosed at only 40 mg a day, that raised bone mineral density in several small randomized trials in women. The trials are consistent but tiny, short, and largely run by or with the company that developed the ingredient.

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What the science says

  • Bone mineral density in adult women Moderate evidence

    In a six-month randomized trial of 33 healthy adult women, 40 mg/day of MBP significantly increased radial bone mineral density compared with placebo. An independent randomized trial in Chinese young women reported a similar effect on bone density and bone metabolism markers.

  • Bone metabolism after menopause Limited evidence

    A controlled trial in healthy menopausal women found that MBP supplementation shifted bone turnover markers in a favourable direction. The samples were small and the follow-up short relative to the years over which bone loss actually happens.

  • Fractures Limited evidence

    No trial has been large enough or long enough to show whether MBP reduces fractures, which is the outcome that matters clinically.

Dosage & safety

Studied dose40 mg of MBP per day was the dose used in essentially all of the published trials, taken for 6–12 months.
SafetyA milk-derived protein: avoid with cow's milk protein allergy. The dose is small and generally well tolerated, with no specific adverse effects reported in the trials. It is not a substitute for calcium, vitamin D, resistance exercise, or prescribed osteoporosis treatment.

How to take it

TimingTiming does not matter.
With food?With or without food; the dose is tiny and absorption is not food-dependent.
Worth knowingIt only makes sense on top of adequate calcium, vitamin D and resistance exercise — it does nothing to replace them, and the trials ran 6 to 12 months before showing anything.

Frequently asked questions

Does milk basic protein increase bone density?

Milk basic protein (MBP) has moderate evidence: small randomized trials in women, including a six-month trial of 33 adults, found 40 mg/day raised bone mineral density versus placebo. The trials are consistent but tiny, short, and largely run with the ingredient's developer.

How much milk basic protein should I take per day?

Essentially every published trial of milk basic protein used 40 mg of MBP per day for 6–12 months. Timing and food do not matter at that small dose.

Does milk basic protein prevent fractures?

No trial of milk basic protein has been large or long enough to show whether it reduces fractures, the outcome that matters clinically. MBP is not a substitute for calcium, vitamin D, resistance exercise or prescribed osteoporosis treatment.

Is milk basic protein safe with a milk allergy?

No, milk basic protein is milk-derived, so avoid it if you have a cow's milk protein allergy. Otherwise MBP is generally well tolerated, with no specific adverse effects reported in the trials.

Scientific references

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