The Lean Plate Club - To burn calories and feel full, eat protein:
A study finds our diets are about 10 percent protein; make it 25 percent and lose weight
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
SALLY SQUIRES
The weight-loss world is full of claims, rarely proved, that some pill or potion can help you 'burn calories while you sleep.'
But a recent Dutch study reports that it can be done -- simply by eating more lean protein.
Researchers report for the first time that consuming nearly a third of daily calories as lean protein -- for example, lean meats or poultry without the skin -- revs up a person's metabolism during sleep. And the benefits aren't just nocturnal: The researchers also found that higher protein intake boosted the burning of calories and fat during the day.
Plus, when the study's participants, who were all women of healthful weight, ate more protein, they said they felt fuller, more satisfied and less hungry than when they consumed a diet with the typical amount of protein, about 10 percent of calories.
The findings suggest that adding lean protein to your daily fare 'enables you to reach the same level of satiety that you are used to with about 80 percent of your normal energy intake,' notes the study's lead author, Margriet Westerterp-Plantenga, an associate professor of human biology at the University of Maastricht. 'That means you can eat about 20 percent less and still have the same satiety. . . . It's a very easy way to ingest' fewer calories without feeling hungry all the time.
This is not the first study to reveal protein's satiating effects. The same research team found similar results in 1999, but during waking hours. A number of other researchers also report evidence of protein's satiating and calorie-burning properties.
What gives protein its caloric edge? It's more difficult for the body to metabolize protein than either fat or carbohydrates. The body also doesn't store protein as efficiently as it does carbohydrates or fat. So protein is more likely to be burned, a process called thermogenesis. That in turn requires more oxygen and helps you feel satisfied in the hours after eating, Westerterp-Plantenga says."
A study finds our diets are about 10 percent protein; make it 25 percent and lose weight
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
SALLY SQUIRES
The weight-loss world is full of claims, rarely proved, that some pill or potion can help you 'burn calories while you sleep.'
But a recent Dutch study reports that it can be done -- simply by eating more lean protein.
Researchers report for the first time that consuming nearly a third of daily calories as lean protein -- for example, lean meats or poultry without the skin -- revs up a person's metabolism during sleep. And the benefits aren't just nocturnal: The researchers also found that higher protein intake boosted the burning of calories and fat during the day.
Plus, when the study's participants, who were all women of healthful weight, ate more protein, they said they felt fuller, more satisfied and less hungry than when they consumed a diet with the typical amount of protein, about 10 percent of calories.
The findings suggest that adding lean protein to your daily fare 'enables you to reach the same level of satiety that you are used to with about 80 percent of your normal energy intake,' notes the study's lead author, Margriet Westerterp-Plantenga, an associate professor of human biology at the University of Maastricht. 'That means you can eat about 20 percent less and still have the same satiety. . . . It's a very easy way to ingest' fewer calories without feeling hungry all the time.
This is not the first study to reveal protein's satiating effects. The same research team found similar results in 1999, but during waking hours. A number of other researchers also report evidence of protein's satiating and calorie-burning properties.
What gives protein its caloric edge? It's more difficult for the body to metabolize protein than either fat or carbohydrates. The body also doesn't store protein as efficiently as it does carbohydrates or fat. So protein is more likely to be burned, a process called thermogenesis. That in turn requires more oxygen and helps you feel satisfied in the hours after eating, Westerterp-Plantenga says."
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