Here is a 7-minute video of obesity researcher, George Bray, MD, talking about the results of their new study in which they overfed subjects roughly an extra 1,000 calories per day of either a low-protein diet (5% protein), a normal-protein diet (15% protein), or a high-protein diet (25% protein), and the effect that this had on body weight and body fat.

All groups gained weight. The normal- and high-protein groups gained the most weight (13-14 lbs vs 7 lbs for the low-protein group), and all groups gained roughly the same amount of body fat.

In other words, overeating caused weight gain regardless of weather they were overeating a high-protein diet or a low-protein diet.

Even though the low-protein group gained weight, they lost a small amount of lean body mass (muscle).

Dr. Bray notes that this shows that not eating enough protein—a diet containing only 5% protein—will not prevent loss of lean body mass. He notes that this finding was unexpected.

Obese men and women who replaced two meals per day with a meal replacement shake containing 215 calories, consisting of 15 grams of protein from whey protein, lost an average of 20.9 pounds in six months according to a recent study from researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Adelaide, South Australia.

Obese men and women who for the first six (6) months replaced two (2) meals per day with a meal replacement shake containing 215 calories, consisting of 15 grams of protein from whey protein, and then for the next six (6) months replaced one (1) meal per day, lost an average of 21.8 pounds in one (1) year according to a recent study from researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Adelaide, South Australia.

Obese men and women who replaced two meals per day with a meal replacement shake containing 215 calories, consisting of 15 grams of protein from skim milk powder, lost an average of 24.2 pounds in six months according to a recent study from researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Adelaide, South Australia.

Obese men and women who for the first six (6) months replaced two (2) meals per day with a meal replacement shake containing 215 calories, consisting of 15 grams of protein from skim milk powder, and then for the next six (6) months replaced one (1) meal per day, lost an average of 23.8 pounds in one (1) year according to a recent study from researchers at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Adelaide, South Australia.

In 1999-2000, 14% of US boys, 2-19 years old, were obese, by 2009-2010, 18.6% were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 1999-2000, 13.8% of US girls, 2-19 years old, were obese, by 2009-2010, 15% were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 1999-2000, 27.5% of US men were obese, and by 2009-2010 the prevalence had increased to 35.5% according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 1999-2000, 33.4% of US women were obese, and by 2009-2010 the prevalence had increased to 35.8% according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009–2010, 37 million US men and 41 million US women over the age of 20 were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 7 million US boys and 5.5 million US girls aged 2-19 were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 18.6% of US boys, 2-19 years old, were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 15% of US girls, 2-19 years old, were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 14.4% of US boys, 2- to 5-years-old, were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 9.6% of US girls, 2- to 5-years-old, were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 20.1% of US boys, 6- to 11-years-old, were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009–2010, 15.7% of US girls, 6- to 11-years-old, were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 19.6% of US boys, 12-19 years old, were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 17.1% of US girls, 12-19 years old, were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010, there was an increase in the prevalence of obesity among boys, but not among girls according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010,  as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010, the prevalence of obesity increased among men, but not among women according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2010,  as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, over 78 million US adults and about 12.5 million US children and adolescents were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010,  as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 35.7% of U.S. adults were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010, as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2009-2010, 16.9% of U.S. children were obese according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009-2010,  as reported by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When obese mice were put on a strict diet to get their body weight below that of lean mice, they “still contain more fat than the normal ones, while their muscles have melted away”, Gary Taubes notes in his excellent book Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It.

In the 1950’s, Jean Mayer, a Harvard researcher, noted that these obese mice ‘will make fat out of their food under the most unlikely circumstances, even when half starved.”

The point of this is, as Taubes states repeatedly, that all of these animals become obese, not because of faulty appetite regulation, but because of a change in the regulation of fat tissue which causes their fat cells to suck up more calories which leaves other tissue (muscles and organs) starved for energy which causes these animals to eat more and exercise less.