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.
LOL that's great. I stole the graphic for my homepage.
Which is fine b/c it's fermented and a condiment, not a "meat substitute." I eat miso and use soy sauce myself.
I love kibosh!! It has to be the dark stuff, though. The lighter kibosh just doesn't have the same kick.
If you can find it in your area, try the kibosh with garlic.
See the next one of the Code Pink Murtha Babe.
Thing is, a lot of protein sources are loaded with artery blocking stuff. It is improbable that high-protein dieters are living on tofu and beans.
A close second is the copious use of corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup in just about everything. That hidden sugar and calories could blow just about any good diet, whether it's Atkins, South Beach, etc.
"you definately have to drink a lot"
And if you drink a lot of cold water, your body burns up calories warming it up in your stomach.
I lost 25 lbs on it myself.
My husband lost 45 pounds. His cholesterol runs in the 170s.
We do focus on the good fats when we can, but don't shy away from things like butter or cream or eggs.
One thing we never NEVER use is Crisco or margarine.
This also has the same effect.
I believe that it's all about calories and exercise. You can eat 1200 calories of cheeze-its every day for a week and you will lose weight.
No. I don't eat meat all the time, as a matter of fact, wheat gluten makes a pretty good meat substitute, IMO. There's also a new product out called Quorn, which is made from a mushroom which also works pretty well.
I just think using unfermented soy products of any kind is poisonous to your body, based on the studies out there.
Jeez----Kibosh....flaxseed.....I've never heard of these.
SUGAR. My mom used to tell me to NEVER put anything white in your mouth. Sugar, flour, rice, potatos......well mom may have been right.
Early man (caveman for those in Rio Linda) ate mostly protien and didn't have kidney problems. Fatties have become more common due to the advent of low-fat foods. The more low fat food (carbs for those in Rio Linda) that the fatties eat, the more fat they put on. Atkins is right.
Swallowing a pound of ice cubes will use up some calories.
I forgot to mention exercise, very true.
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