IS A HIGH PROTEIN DIET BEST FOR WEIGHT LOSS?
According to the American Heart Association (2002), if people wish to lose weight and maintain the weight loss they achieve, they need to make lifestyle changes "for the long term." In other words, permanent changes are required, changes that both cause weight loss and operate to maintain it. A key question that might be asked in this regard is what changes, if any, should be made in eating habits? The purpose of this paper is to examine one sometimes recommended change in eating, namely that of shifting over to a high protein diet for weight loss. In particular, the research on the high protein diet is examined to determine whether those wishing to lose weight should make this change and whether, if the change should be made, it should be a be short-term or long-term change.
Even a cursory review of the literature on the use of a high protein diet for weight loss indicates that it does help a person to lose weight, at least in the short term. The Harvard School of Public Health (2003) issued a report on protein in general and on the high protein diet used for weight loss in particular. The report noted that the body needs protein daily since it cannot store amino acids as it does fats. Of the high-protein diet used for weight loss, the report stated:
In short-term studies, a lower calorie diet that includes more protein and less carbohydrate is more effective for losing weight or keeping a weight steady than a lower-calorie, high-carbohydrate diet. (Harvard School of Public Health, 2003, p.3).
There are several reasons why the high-protein diet often results in superior weight loss. First, eating high protein foods makes people feel fuller longer because it slows the movement of food from the stomach to the intestine. This, in turn, delays hunger signals. Also, digesting protein causes smaller, steadier drops in blood sugar than does the digestion of carbohydrates. Hunger pan...