People 50- to 65-years old who consumed a high-protein diet, defined as consuming 20% or more of calories from protein, were 1.73 times more likely to die over the next 18 years than people who consumed a low-protein diet, defined as consuming less than 10% of calories from protein, according to a study from researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, USA.

“None of these associations was significantly affected by controlling for percent calories from total fat or for percent calories from total carbohydrates,” the paper notes.

“However, when the percent calories from animal protein was controlled for, the association between total protein and all-cause or cancer mortality was eliminated or significantly reduced, respectively, suggesting animal proteins are responsible for a significant portion of these relationships.”

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People 50- to 65-years old who consumed a moderate-protein diet, defined as consuming 10-19% or more of calories from protein, were 3.1 times more likely to die from cancer over the next 18 years than people who consumed a low-protein diet, defined as consuming less than 10% of calories from protein, according to a study from researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, USA.

“None of these associations was significantly affected by controlling for percent calories from total fat or for percent calories from total carbohydrates,” the paper notes.

“However, when the percent calories from animal protein was controlled for, the association between total protein and all-cause or cancer mortality was eliminated or significantly reduced, respectively, suggesting animal proteins are responsible for a significant portion of these relationships.”

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People 50- to 65-years old who consumed a high-protein diet, defined as consuming 20% or more of calories from protein, were 4.3 times more likely to die from cancer over the next 18 years than people who consumed a low-protein diet, defined as consuming less than 10% of calories from protein, according to a study from researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, USA.

“None of these associations was significantly affected by controlling for percent calories from total fat or for percent calories from total carbohydrates,” the paper notes.

“However, when the percent calories from animal protein was controlled for, the association between total protein and all-cause or cancer mortality was eliminated or significantly reduced, respectively, suggesting animal proteins are responsible for a significant portion of these relationships.”

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People 66-years and older who consumed a high-protein diet, defined as consuming 20% or more of calories from protein, were 28% less likely to die over the next 18 years than people who consumed a low-protein diet, defined as consuming less than 10% of calories from protein, according to a study from researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, USA.

“[T]his was not affected by percent calories from fat, from carbohydrates, or from animal protein,” the paper notes.

In other words, a high-protein diet INCREASED the risk of dying prematurely in people 50-65 years-old, but REDUCED the risk of dying prematurely in those 66-years-old and older.

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People 66-years and older who consumed a moderate-protein diet, defined as consuming 10-19% or more of calories from protein, were 21% less likely to die over the next 18 years than people who consumed a low-protein diet, defined as consuming less than 10% of calories from protein, according to a study from researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, USA.

“[T]his was not affected by percent calories from fat, from carbohydrates, or from animal protein,” the paper notes.

In other words, a moderate- to high-protein diet INCREASED the risk of dying prematurely in people 50-65 years-old, but REDUCED the risk of dying prematurely in those 66-years-old and older.

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People 66-years and older who consumed a high-protein diet, defined as consuming 20% or more of calories from protein, were 60% less likely to die from cancer over the next 18 years than people who consumed a low-protein diet, defined as consuming less than 10% of calories from protein, according to a study from researchers at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, USA.

In other words, a moderate- to high-protein diet INCREASED the risk of dying prematurely from cancer in people 50-65 years-old, but REDUCED the risk of dying prematurely from cancer in those 66-years-old and older.

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Type 2 diabetics with renal disease who were assigned to eat a moderate protein diet containing at least 25% protein lost an average of 21.3 lbs after one year versus 14.5 lbs for those assigned to eat a standard protein diet containing 15% protein, however, the difference was not statistically significant.

People in the moderate protein diet ate an average of 19 grams more protein per day than those on the standard protein diet.

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People assigned to eat diets with a different composition of protein (15% vs 25%), fat (20% vs 40%) and carbohydrates (35% to 65%), but the same number of calories, lost the same amount of weight and same amount of fat according to a recent study from researchers at Harvard University. The average weight loss was 13.9 lbs after six months which was similar in all the diet groups, with 9.2 lbs coming from body fat, and 4.6 lbs coming from lean body mass (muscle) "with no differences between 25% and 15% protein, 40% and 20% fat, or 65% and 35% carbohydrate." Read the entire article | Email this article

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.

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Patients eating a low-carbohydrate group lost nearly twice as much weight as those in the low-fat group. Those in the low-carb group lost an average of 26.4 pounds versus 14.3 pounds for those in the low-fat group. Read the entire article | Email this article

After losing an average of 13.8 pounds in a month on a very low calorie diet, people given an extra 30 grams of protein per day only regained 1.8 poundsover the next six months -- all of which was muscle -- compared to an weight gain of 6.6 pounds in people not given the extra protein according to a study from The Netherlands. Read the entire article | Email this article

Increasing protein intake from 12 percent to 25 percent increased weight loss by an average of 8.4 pounds in six months according to a recent study. Read the entire article | Email this article

Women with type 2 diabetes eating a high-protein diet lost nearly twice as much body fat -- 11.7 pounds versus 6.2 pounds -- as those eating a low-protein diet according to a recent study. Read the entire article | Email this article

After losing 15 pounds in one month on a very-low-calorie diet, people were able to maintain this weight loss either by taking 90 mg of EGCG plus 50 mg of caffeine after each meal, or by eating a high-protein diet containing 100 grams of protein per day, which included 50 grams of a simple protein powder called calcium caseinate according to a study from Maastricht University in Maastricht, Netherlands.

People eating a diet containing adequate protein of only 50-60 grams of protein per day regained 6 pounds during the three months of intended weight maintenance. Read the entire article | Email this article

A high-protein, low-fat, low-glycemic index diet reduces calorie intake by 25 percent compared to a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet and reduced triglycerides by 35% according to a recent study. Read the entire article | Email this article

Increasing protein intake from 15 percent to 30 percent caused patients to lose an average of 10.8 pounds in three months, including a loss of 8.1 pounds of body fat according to a recent study. Read the entire article | Email this article

Increasing protein intake from 15 percent to 30 percent reduces calorie intake by an average of 441 calories per day according to a three month study. Read the entire article | Email this article

A high protein, reduced fat diet causes 7.7 pounds more weight loss than a medium protein, reduced fat diet according to study from obesity researcher Arnie Astrup and others in Denmark. Read the entire article | Email this article

A high protein diet does not adversely affect calcium levels, kidney function or cardiovascular risk factors according to obesity researcher Arnie Astrup. Read the entire article | Email this article

Increasing protein intake from 15 percent to 30 percent of calories and reduing fat from 35 percent to 20 percent of calories caused normal and overweight people to eat 441 fewer calories per day and lose an average of 10.8 pounds in three months according to a study from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA. Read the entire article | Email this article

Increasing protein intake from the current 15-18 percent to 20-35 percent causes people to spontaneously eat less and lose weight according to obesity researcher Arnie Astrup. Read the entire article | Email this article

A high-protein diet attenuates the decrease in metabolism seen following weight loss according to one study. Read the entire article | Email this article

A high protein diet increases weight loss and reduces bone loss compared to a low protein diet with the same amount of fat according to a study from Denmark. Read the entire article | Email this article