A new study shows that “protein hunger” can lead to overconsumption of processed foods and obesity. Researchers have studied the relationship between protein consumption and caloric intake. Researchers have found a link between low protein intake and increased caloric intake from fats and carbohydrates, which may increase the risk of obesity. They concluded that consumers, industry and governments should prioritize significantly reducing consumption of processed foods and increasing consumption of whole foods. Obesity is linked to some of the leading causes of preventable premature death, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
The protein lever hypothesis (PLH) was first proposed in 2005 and is a theory about the cause of obesity. It states that if the body’s protein needs are not met, consumption of fat and carbohydrates increases, which reduces satiety signals and increases food intake. Studies by reliable sources have shown that as the proportion of energy from protein decreased in American diets, obesity rates increased. Another study found that hospitalized adults who were exposed to ultra-processed diets ate more carbohydrates, fats, and total energy than those on unprocessed diets and thus gained weight. Understanding the health effects of ultra-processed foods and low protein intake can lead to improved obesity prevention strategies. Recently, researchers analyzed population health data to understand the relationship between protein intake and obesity. They found a link between lower protein intake during the first meal of the day and higher overall food intake throughout the day. The results of the study were published in the journal Obesity.
The effect of protein intake on the overall diet
The researchers analyzed data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2011-2012. It included data from 9,341 subjects whose mean age was 46.3.
The data included:
Calories from protein, carbohydrates, fat, fiber and alcohol.
food consumption time
body mass index (BMI)
The average energy consumed was 2072 calories, including:
18.4% protein
43.5% carbohydrates
30.9% fat
2.2% fiber
4.3% alcohol
By comparing energy intake and timing of consumption, the researchers found that people who ate less protein at the first meal of the day had more calories at subsequent meals. The researchers noted that as protein intake decreased, so did energy from fats, carbohydrates, sugars, and alcohol in what is known as a “protein dilution.”
They also noted that people who ate less protein at the first meal ate more processed foods throughout the day. This study indicates that in humans, eating low-protein meals at the beginning of the day leads, through a protein lever, to an increase in energy intake (fats and carbohydrates).
Although people who eat low-protein breakfasts tend to choose high-protein meals later (at lunch and dinner), they don’t fully compensate for the low-protein start of the day, and that also at the end of the day. , the daily diet is generally lower in protein and higher in fat and/or carbohydrates than people who start the day with high-protein meals.
Protein deficiency and overeating
The researchers note that several factors may explain why humans tend to consume highly processed foods. These include the following factors:
taste
The cheap price
Item
aggressive marketing
general availability
Corporate political activity that conflicts with public health policy.
They also note that savory-flavored snacks can hijack the body’s protein-seeking responses in what’s known as the “protein enticement effect.” They write that these products can aggravate protein deficiency rather than satisfy it.
Add protein to your breakfast
Protein slows down the rate of digestion and absorption of sugars and carbohydrates from our food, just like fat. If we eat a breakfast full of processed or sugary foods, we digest and absorb these foods quickly.
This causes our insulin levels to rise very quickly, causing our cells to remove sugar (glucose) from the blood very quickly, assuming we don’t have diabetes. This then leads to a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, which can make us feel hungry again and stoke that appetite, even if we’re not really hungry.
If you are hungry, you are more likely to eat, if you have food cravings, lack of sleep, proximity to food, smell of food, there are so many complex variables here as to what we should choose, even the microbes in our gut play an important role. Role in the type of food you choose, so you may be more likely to overeat.
How much protein should you eat?
A study conducted earlier in the year suggested that diets with less animal protein and higher levels of complex carbohydrates are the most beneficial for long-term health and lifespan. When asked how the results of the current study indicating higher levels of the protein match these earlier findings.
But an earlier study suggested that fiber could be a healthy alternative to higher levels of protein. The theory that low protein “increases” a higher intake of fat and carbohydrates applies to diets high in processed foods that are low in fiber and protein. Under these conditions, we expend a lot of energy to reach our protein target. On the other hand, for people whose diet includes a high percentage of whole plant foods rich in fiber, the latter partially replaces proteins by providing the feeling of satiety that makes it possible to stop eating.
Benefits of higher fiber intake include reduced protein intake, which has been linked to increased lifespan, and increased levels of micronutrients and other beneficial compounds such as antioxidants that are lost in industrial food processing. All of these mechanisms likely explain why diets associated with the longest healthy lifespan (eg, traditional Okinawan diet, Mediterranean blue zone, etc.) are low in protein (no more than 10% protein). energy, compared to about 15-18% for typical Western and Australian diets) and rich in plant foods.
#proteinrich #breakfast #prevent #overeating #obesity
