High-Protein Diet May Help People Lose Pounds

High-Protein Diet May Help People Lose Pounds

A new analysis of past studies suggests that dieters who eat meals and snacks high in protein might lose a bit more weight than those who get less protein and more carbohydrates - all other things being equal.

Over an average of 12 weeks, people assigned at random to a high-protein diet lost about 1.8 extra pounds, and more body fat, than those assigned to a standard-protein diet, researchers found out.

There was no difference, however, in how much participants' blood pressure, cholesterol levels or markers for diabetes risk changed based on the protein content of their diets.

For the study, Thomas Wycherley, the lead author of the study and his colleagues analyzed 24 past trials that included a total of 1,063 people.

Participants were all put on a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet designed to help them lose weight. About half were prescribed a high-protein version of that diet - containing about 85 grams of protein per day for a 150-pound person - and the other half a standard-protein diet, with 49 grams per day, on average, for a 150-pound person.

Across all trials, high-protein and standard-protein diets were designed to provide the same calorie reduction.

It's not obvious why a higher protein-to-carbohydrate ratio might help people shed more pounds - and one obesity researcher not involved in the new analysis questioned whether the trials were even robust enough to make that conclusion.

However, Dr. James Levine from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, told Reuters Health in an email that "The studies are generally far too short to tell impact," What's more, he added, "many are inadequately conducted to be relevant."

Posted by George Daniels on Tuesday November 06 2012, 4:47 AM EST. Ref: Yahoo. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0