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.
With Atkins, the ketosis stage is just the first two weeks. I don't know why everyone thinks Atkins tells you to abandon all carbs. It does not.
Somehow, high protien puts a lot of stress on the kidneys and makes them work harder. I'm not sure what the mechanism is but I have a friend who constantly had to watch out for that when she did low carb.
I've found eating lots of veggies helps replace the wheat type carbs and helps control my appetite better. Keeps you regular, too, which is a problem on high protien diets.
""Prehistoric hunter-gatherers did not routinely live to be 80 years old," she points out."
Every now and then, one must feed the kitty.
I think so too. Years ago I went on a diet of 1000 calories a day. For breakfast I had a can of chocolate Sego and a slice of Weight Watchers cherry pie. Basically it was a chocolate milkshake and a piece of pie. But it was only 350 calories. I spent my calories well and lost lots of weight.
I just peuked up my lunch....thanks!!
bump
I'm a "fatty", as you call us and , yes, my weakness is carbs. I crave sugar. I went on Weight-watchers and lost 45 lbs. Then the sugar intake slowly increased and so did I. I never gained it ALL back though. I did learn a few things from WW that helps me, but it's a battle I have fought for years because I don't pay attention to what I'm putting in my mouth.
Nobody to blame but myself.
I have always wondered about increasing protein by adding whey to various drinks/foods.
Also if fiber (lacking scientific term) "counteracts" carbs---the "net carbs" are determined by substracting the amount of fiber from the amount of carbs---why can't a regular carb-filled drink, such as orange juice, be made lower-net-carb by adding a soluble fiber, such as Benefiber?
That's b/c the looney left views the Atkins diet as ALL ABOUT MEAT.
Meateaters are in the same category with breeders, in their view, and that ain't pretty.
You can't expect the drive-by media to actually read a book and understand the diet they are criticizing! And then for scientists to actually read the book rather than the drive-by media's summary of it!
Congratulations!
You will lose lots of weight.
Take care that you go long on the liquid, as otherwise you (or persons proximate) will suffer (your) gas.
Wow! There's so much in this article that's either completely wrong, or at least, biased misrepresentation, I don't know where to start!
"Don't know why the low carb, high protien diets work?" That's a doosey right there!
Mark
BTW, when I was on the Atkins diet, I was eating healthier than I ever had in my life before! Just because you CAN have saturated fats doesn't mean you MUST have saturated fats... And you can have carbs, just specific ones, in limited quantities.
When I was on Atkins, I was eating primarily chicken or turkey (about 10 meals a week), then about equal amounts of fish and beef or lean pork (about 2 meals each a week). The #1 fat in my diet was olive oil.
Mark
What!?!?!?! It's the best! Give me a can of crisco, a 5# bag of sugar, and a spoon!
YUM!
Mark
AMEN!!!! Preach it, sister!
Are you referring to isolated soy protein? How is that more dangerous than saturated fat? For that matter, why are unfermented soy products bad for you in the first place? Can you be more specific because your links are filled with misinformation?
And why is saturated fat, in moderation, bad for you?
I don't see the copious use of corn syrup in our food supply but even if it was being used a great deal, what do you have against it? High fructose corn syrup has replaced sucrose over the past 30 years on a nearly one for one basis. Where there was once (or would be) sucrose there is now HFCS. HFCS is made up of the same two molecules as sucrose in almost identical proportions.
That hidden sugar and calories could blow just about any good diet
Nothing is hidden. The ingredients and nutritional information is printed clearly on the label. If you want to eliminate carbs from your diet, you should simply read the label.
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