Originally published September 27 2005
High-protein diet complements exercise when trying to lose weight, research shows
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to Web MD, a recent University of Illinois study shows that eating a diet consisting of foods high in protein can enhance exercise's ability to help people lose fat, without losing muscle in the process.
A high-protein diet may enhance the effects of exercise in helping people lose fat without losing muscle.
New research shows obese women who exercised regularly and ate a reduced-calorie diet high in protein lost more fat and less muscle than those who ate a similar diet high in carbohydrates.
Both diets contained the same number of total calories and percentage of calories from fat.
"Both diets work because, when you restrict calories, you lose weight.
But the people on the higher-protein diet lost more weight," says researcher Donald Layman, PhD, professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois, in a news release.
In the study, researchers compared the effects of a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet against a high-carbohydrate, low-protein diet combined with exercise in 48 obese women.
Both diets contained 1,700 calories, 30% of calories from fat, and about 17 grams of fiber.
But women on the high-protein diet substituted high-protein foods, such as meats, dairy, eggs, and nuts, for foods high in carbohydrates, such as breads, rice, cereal, pasta, and potatoes, to get about 30% of their total calories from protein.
The high-exercise group consisted of five 30-minute walking sessions and two 30 minute weight lifting/stretching sessions per week.
Exercise for the low-intensity group emphasized voluntary lifestyle recommendations of a minimum of 30 minutes of walking five days/week.
After four months, the results showed that both groups of dieters lost weight, and those who exercised more lost less muscle tissue and more fat.
High-carbohydrate dieters in the high-exercise group lost an average of 15 pounds but lost more than 2 pounds of muscle.
Layman says the weight loss advantage of a high-protein diet may be its high level of the amino acid leucine.
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