Table 1. Clinical study of dairy vs. plant proteins: outcomes from human studies

Type of study		Protein	Participants	Duration	Key findings	Reference
Dairy proteins	Systematic review (RCT)	Dairy products	Healthy adults, overweight/obese individuals, IBS patients, and other diverse conditions	3–12 weeks	↑ Bifidobacterium and butyrate-producing bacteria↑ Gut microbiota diversity↓ Inflammation-related markers; suppression of pathogenic bacteria	[6]
	Cohort	Dairy products	21 countries, (n=147,812)	Long-term follow-up (average 9 years)	↓ Incidence of hypertensionIncidence of metabolic syndrome↓ Incidence of diabetes	[74]
	RCT	Whey protein	Healthy older adults (n=30)	Single session	↑ MPS↑ Blood leucine concentration	[77] NCT01062711
Plant proteins	RCT	Soy milk	Overweight and obese men (n=17)	4 weeks	↑ Alpha diversity↑ Bifidobacterium↑ Lactobacillus	[102]
	RCT	Soy protein	Healthy older adults (n=30)	Single session	No increase in MPS↓ Blood leucine concentration	[77] NCT01062711

RCT, randomized controlled trial; IBS, irritable bowel syndrome; MPS, muscle protein synthesis.