Originally published September 7 2005
Protein-rich diet works with exercise to aid in weight loss, study shows
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A high-protein diet combined with exercise is more effective at reducing body fat than a low calorie, high-carbohydrate diet and exercise, according to researchers at the University of Illinois.
The trial on almost 50 overweight women confirms previous studies showing that a high-protein diet can lead to greater fat loss than a low-calorie, high carbohydrate diet.
But the researchers from the University of Illinois have also demonstrated that when both regimes are combined with an exercise programme, the protein-rich diet is still more effective at reducing body fat.
"There's an additive, interactive effect when a protein-rich diet is combined with exercise.
The two work together to correct body composition; dieters lose more weight, and they lose fat, not muscle," said author Donald Layman, professor of food science and human nutrition.
Half the women ate a protein-rich diet containing specific levels of leucine, one of the essential amino acids, for four months.
The others followed a diet based on the US food guide pyramid, which contained higher amounts of carbohydrates.
"Both diets work because, when you restrict calories, you lose weight.
High-protein diets have been controversial as they counter the accepted weight-loss diet and there is little information on their impact on health over the long-term.
But recent studies suggest that they may indeed work better than low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diets by increasing satiety and reducing fat mass.
The first involved walking two to three times a week, while the second group included five 30-minute walking sessions and two 30-minute weightlifting sessions per week.
In both groups of dieters, the exercise helped spare lean muscle tissue and target fat loss.
But, the protein-rich, high-exercise group, lost even more weight, and almost 100 per cent of the weight loss was fat, report the researchers.
"The protein-rich diet dramatically lowered triglycerides and had a statistically significant effect on trunk fat, both risk factors associated with heart disease," said Layman.
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