Metabolic Advantage Found In High-Protein Weight Loss Diet
Citation: Effects of two energy-restricted diets differing in the carbohydrate/protein ratio on weight loss and oxidative changes of obese men. International Journal of Food Science & Nutrition. 2008 Jul 25;:1-13. Authors: Abete I, Parra D, Martinez De Morentin B, Alfredo Martinez J
This study aimed to compare the effects of two calorie-restricted weight loss diets on the subjects’ overall weight loss as well as their mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. The mitochondria are responsible for generating cellular energy, so the rate at which they consume fuel is thought to be a good measure of a person’s overall metabolic rate.
Comparison Of Two Low Calorie Weight Loss Diets
The diets that were compared in this study both restricted the amount of total food energy that participants were allowed to consume, and so both were low calorie weight loss diets. The difference between them was the macronutrient ratio, or the ratio of carbohydrate to protein. So one group of study participants followed a “traditional” high-carbohydrate, low calorie diet while the other group followed a high-protein, restricted carbohydrate diet.
To determine the differences in effect between these two diets, nineteen obese men were randomly assigned to follow one diet or the other for a total of eight weeks. The small number of participants and the relatively short duration of the study are limiting factors in the interpretation of the results. However, significant results were found within the context of these limitations.
Weight Loss Diet Results
Study participants who followed the high-protein, low carb weight loss diet lost significantly more weight than those following the “traditional” high-carbohydrate low calorie diet. The low carb group lost an average of around 8 pounds, while the high carb group averaged around 5 pounds.
In addition to the improved weight loss, the researchers found that mitochondrial oxidation was “activated” in the study participants consuming the high protein diet. The researchers propose that such a diet may actually be increasing the dieter’s metabolism, providing a metabolic advantage over weight loss diets that are higher in carbohydrate and lower in protein.
Effects of Very Low Carb Weight Loss Diets Not Addressed
An interesting consideration that is not mentioned in the study is the fact that the “low-carbohydrate” diet group was consuming a much larger amount of carbohydrate than is typically prescribed for individual following a low carb weight loss diet. Carbohydrates still accounted for 40% of this group’s total caloric intake. This means that “low carb” study participants were still eating approximately 150 grams of carbohydrate each day.
Additional research may reveal whether the increase in protein alone may have produced the metabolic advantage seen in these study participants, or whether further reduction in carbohydrate intake might enhance this effect.
Related weight loss diet research
High Protein Weight Loss Diet, Low Calorie Weight Loss Diet, Low Carbohydrate Weight Loss Diet, Weight Loss Diet Plans