People lost the same amount of weight (13.9 lbs) with 15% protein as 25% protein

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Tuesday, May 01, 2012 12:14 pm Email this article
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."

2 Year Weight Regain

40% of weight regained after 2 years

The subjects had regained 40% of their weight loss after two years.

2 Year Weight Regain

40% of weight regained after 2 years

“Participants lost more fat than lean mass after consumption of all diets, with no differences in changes in body composition, abdominal fat, or hepatic fat between assigned macronutrient amounts,” the authors concluded.

Comment

Comment: Calories are most important

This study shows that calories are most important.

REFERENCE

De Souza RJ, Bray G, Carey V, Hall K, Leboff M, Loria C, Laranjo N, Sacks F, Smith S. Effects of 4 weight-loss diets differing in fat, protein, and carbohydrate on fat mass, lean mass, visceral adipose tissue, and hepatic fat: Results from the pounds lost trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Jan 18.

Department of Nutrition
Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, MA and

Endocrine Division
Department of Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital and
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

 

Articles on the same subject can be found here:

• Fat Intake (Dietary Fat)

• High Carbohydrate Diet

• High-Protein / Low-Carb Diets

• Low Calorie Diet

• Low Fat Diets

• Protein, High, Diet

• Protein, Low, Diet