One litre of sweet whey will satisfy 4/5 of our daily requirement of riboflavin, 1/3 of the daily requirement of pyrodoxine and biotin, 2/3 of the daily requirement of pantothenic acid and 1/3 of the daily requirement of vitamin B12. Especially those consumers who eat little or no meat or fish (e.g. lacto vegetarians), are well advised to used whey to ensure their intake and stores of vitamin B12 are sufficient. But whey is also comparatively rich in iodine. One litre of whey will satisfy 40 percent of the daily adult requirement of iodine.

As to minerals, whey contains calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. Calcium is of particular significance, since it is essential for healthy bones and teeth. Children, whose bodies are still developing, benefit most from the consumption of whey and whey products. But whey is just as nutritionally valuable in helping to prevent osteoporosis in elderly people.

One litre of sweet whey will satisfy 63 percent of the adult requirement of calcium, while amounting to no more than 9.5 percent of our energy requirements. The nutrient density of sweet whey, therefore, is six times as high as its physiological calorific value. Which makes whey an ideal ingredient in weight-reduction diets for the obese. Tests have also shown the favourable potassium-to-sodium ratio (40 percent : 18 percent per litre) to help reduce blood pressure.

Whey proteins are often used in processed baby foods, with a diet of whey-protein foods considered to be a suitable alternative to breast feeding. The main carbohydrate contained in both breast milk and cow milk/whey is lactose. Lactose is important for the healthy development of infants in more ways than one, promoting healthy intestinal flora as well as the intake of calcium. While there is as yet a lack of research on the positive effects of whey products on our immunity, there are clear indications that the human immune system is liable to benefit sustainably from the consumption of whey products.

We can expect whey to be increasingly used in future as a dietary therapy for the prevention of chronic kidney insufficiency; and the same applies to therapy for infections of the gastro-intestinal tract. But it is most notably the positive effect that whey products have on a balanced diet that deserves the most praise. There is, however, yet a great amount of development potential which, to date, remains untapped.