When young men drank more skim milk powder to get more protein, their liver enzyme levels went back to normal quickly—this might mean that not getting enough protein can stress your liver early on.

We analyzed one assertion on this topic and found that when young men increased their protein intake by drinking more skim milk powder, their liver enzyme levels returned to normal more quickly. This suggests that low protein intake might be linked to early signs of liver stress, and adding protein from skim milk powder could help reverse that [1]. We did not find any studies that contradicted this observation. However, this conclusion is based on only one assertion, and we don’t have details about the study design, sample size, or how liver enzymes were measured. Liver enzymes are proteins in the blood that can rise when the liver is under stress, but they don’t always mean there’s damage. What we’ve found so far leans toward the idea that increasing protein from skim milk powder may help normalize liver enzyme levels in young men who aren’t getting enough protein. But we can’t say whether this effect is direct, long-lasting, or applies to everyone. There’s not enough evidence to know if other sources of protein would do the same, or if the improvement was due to protein itself or other factors in milk. For now, if you’re a young man with elevated liver enzymes and you’re not eating enough protein, adding skim milk powder might be worth trying — but it’s not a guaranteed fix, and you should talk to a healthcare provider before making big changes to your diet.