Protein Balance Found to be Key to Successful Weight Loss Diet
So, when is a calorie not really a calorie? This is a question that has been asked by weight loss enthusiasts for the past century. As you may have guessed, many people have not yet found the answer as evidenced by the continuing overweight and obesity challenges that plaque millions of Americans.
Medical researchers have been busy working to determine if successful weight loss is merely a matter of caloric balance or if calories from different food sources have a different effect on how our body stores fat. New information now provides evidence that some calories are more demonic than others and can impact your path to permanent weight loss.
Caloric Balance is Essential to Weight Loss Efforts
The results of a Danish study published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine compared five different protein and carbohydrate balanced diets on their ability to initiate and maintain weight loss. Study participants initially lost an average of 24 pounds and then were placed on one of five specially prepared diets which varied from low carb/high protein to high carb/low protein.
The results showed that those on the low glycemic, high protein diet were 45% more efficient in maintaining their lost weight. Dr. Thomas Larsen, the co-author of the study theorized that the higher protein content provided a stronger satiety effect while improving blood sugar control. He concluded, "There has been considerable controversy over the role of glycemic index in general, and obesity treatment in particular. This study provides very strong, supportive evidence for the importance of this low-glycemic concept."
Protein Boosts Metabolism, Assists Weight Loss
The Danish study is the latest body of research to demonstrate that a higher protein diet when combined with a dramatically lower consumption of processed and refined carbohydrates is needed to boost metabolic rate and stimulate weight loss. Information published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides evidence that health adults should eat three-quarters of their body weight in grams of protein each day.
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