Posted on 09/05/2006 12:57:57 PM PDT by Mount Athos
Eating a high-protein diet can boost the release of a hunger-suppressing hormone, according to new study on mice. The research suggests that a diet rich in protein may be a good way to lose weight and keep it off.
Mice fed a protein-heavy diet produced higher levels of an appetite-regulating protein called peptide YY (PYY), which has been linked to reduced appetite in human studies. What's more, the high-protein mice put on less fat than mice on a low-protein regime.
The discovery boosts the theory that eating more protein might help to reduce appetite and lead to sustained weight loss, says Rachel Batterham of University College London, who led the research, published in the journal Cell Metabolism1. "All the evidence suggests that it will be beneficial," she says.
The discovery may also shed light on how the notorious Atkins diet, which ditches carbohydrates in favour of protein and saturated fats, might work. Studies have shown that people on this diet can loose weight, though it is unclear why. Batterham thinks she may have the answer: "People on the Atkins diet don't feel as hungry — that's how it works."
But, she cautions, that doesn't mean the Atkins diet is a good idea: "No medical person is going to tell you to have all that saturated fat in your diet and no carbohydrates." In its early stages, the regime causes a condition called ketosis, in which the liver, deprived of glycogen from carbohydrates, switches to its starvation mode and begins to metabolize fatty compounds. "The problem is that it makes you feel terrible," Batterham says.
She now plans to organize a long-term study of the effects of a high-protein diet in humans, which might feature foods such as lean meat, soy, tofu and egg.
Batterham undertook this study in part to pin down the link between PYY and appetite. Her team first showed that the hormone reduces appetite in humans in a Nature paper2 in 2002, but other researchers said they could not replicate the effect. So her team turned to mice to investigate it in more depth.
In the new study, as well as showing that mice fed lots of protein put on less weight, Batterham and her colleagues also genetically engineered mice to lack functioning PYY. These mice ate more and became fatter, even on a high-protein regime. When these mice were dosed with replacement PYY, they stopped gorging. This proves, says Batterham, that a lack of PYY is directly linked to overeating.
That might explain why people are growing ever more obese. Since the agricultural revolution, the amount of protein in the average diet has been declining, in favour of carbohydrates from plant crops such as rice and maize. The typical Western diet contains only 16% protein, whereas a prehistoric hunter-gatherer would have consumed twice as much, Batterham claims.
High-protein eating habits such as the 'caveman diet', which can contain up to 35% protein, might therefore be based on some sound principles, Batterham suggests. The PYY system, she points out, has been around for millions of years, and is found in animals ranging from humans right through to primitive fish called lampreys.
Batterham stresses that such diets will still need to be investigated to see if they carry risks of high cholesterol, kidney damage or other problems. "Prehistoric hunter-gatherers did not routinely live to be 80 years old," she points out.
yeah, a high protein diet will reduce your appetite as you deal with the pain fromt he Kidney stone you get with it. Also isn't good for your kidneys.
The over-processed, white bread diet that Americans eat is the primary cause of obesity. That coupled with a lack of exercise. High protien diets are not rocket surgery and can produce marked weight loss.
That's how it works.
After a week of eating nothing but cheese and meat sauteed in oil, you really don't feel like eating much more cheese and meat sauteed in oil.
In all things moderation. You need not go from one extreme to the other, simply cut back some processed carbs in favor of higher protein will have dramatic results as well without the health risks of an extremely high protein diet.
Also,while on Atkins,I *never* felt hungry and with the diet,combined with moderate exercise,the pounds (about 30 of them) just melted off of me.
Also, periodically, you should do a carb re-feed. That, or you'll sort of go out of your mind.
But it's true --protein will quash the munchies more effectively than fat.
I went from 260 pounds to 201, so far. I also did lot of cardio, of course...
Staying busy also suppresses the appetite. I honestly believe there is a mechanism in your body that activates an eating impulse when one is idle.
Beyond that, keeping away from prepackaged foods, sodas, and going easy on sweets should take care of most weight problems.
That's why South Beach is a good diet. It's high protein and low carb, but not as severe as Atkins. It doesn't stress the kidneys and doesn't put you in ketosis. And it counsels against "bad" fats. But it does work.
What's the reference to Kidney problems all about?
Why can't I eat what I want but supplement it with a tasty chewable pill providing the magical "appetite reducing" hormone that protein diets are supposed to stimulate?
And some cardio.
Unfermented soy products are much worse for you than saturated fat.
"A good place to start would be to use some kind of beans in place of potatoes as a side item."
I tried that. My wife put the kibosh on it, though. I [toot] can't imagine why.
I've heard that too. I dislike tofu anyway.
I use soy sauce though
Brought to you by the meat council?
Whey protein powder direct, without exotic stuff and sky-high prices.
(I am not a salesman or owner, just a happy customer)
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