title: Protein, weight management, and satiety.
abstract: Obesity, with its comorbidities such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases, is a major public health concern. To address this problem, it is imperative to identify treatment interventions that target a variety of short- and long-term mechanisms. Although any dietary or lifestyle change must be personalized, controlled energy intake in association with a moderately elevated protein intake may represent an effective and practical weight-loss strategy. Potential beneficial outcomes associated with protein ingestion include the following: 1) increased satiety--protein generally increases satiety to a greater extent than carbohydrate or fat and may facilitate a reduction in energy consumption under ad libitum dietary conditions; 2) increased thermogenesis--higher-protein diets are associated with increased thermogenesis, which also influences satiety and augments energy expenditure (in the longer term, increased thermogenesis contributes to the relatively low-energy efficiency of protein); and 3) maintenance or accretion of fat-free mass--in some individuals, a moderately higher protein diet may provide a stimulatory effect on muscle protein anabolism, favoring the retention of lean muscle mass while improving metabolic profile. Nevertheless, any potential benefits associated with a moderately elevated protein intake must be evaluated in the light of customary dietary practices and individual variability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1144, USA. djpaddon@utmb.edu
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paddon-Jones
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Westman
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Mattes
authors.forename: Robert R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Wolfe
authors.forename: Arne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Astrup
authors.forename: Margriet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Westerterp-Plantenga
mesh_terms: D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012527:Satiation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D022722:Thermogenesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins