• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Wellness / Weight Loss / Scientists Uncover Protein's Weight-Loss Secrets

Scientists Uncover Protein's Weight-Loss Secrets

woman wearing gym clothes holding scaleA study of protein-munching rats shows that a low-carb diet sparks a chain of
biological events that ultimately curbs hunger.

The French researchers explain it this way: Protein, the staple of such
weight-loss regimens, appears to increase glucose production in the small
intestine — the rise of which is monitored by the liver and then registered by
the brain. In turn, the brain sends out an “all full” message, cutting back on
the drive to eat more.

“The current findings provide an answer to the question of how
protein-enriched meals decrease hunger and reduce eating, unsolved up to now,”
the study authors, led by Gilles Mithieux of the Institut National de la Sante
et de la Recherche Medicale in Lyon, France, said in a prepared statement.

“This novel understanding of the effect of diet protein will open new gates
in the elaboration of future medical treatments of obesity,” Mithieux said.

You May Also Like
15 Natural Remedies for Aches and Pains

The researchers fed one group of rats a 50 percent-protein diet enriched with
soya protein and casein. Another group ate a starch-enriched diet that contained
just 17 percent protein.

Reporting in the November issue of Cell Metabolism, the French team
found that by the end of just one week, rats on the protein-rich regimen had
consumed 15 percent less food than those in the starch-diet group.

The protein-diet rats also gained significantly less weight over the course
of the week than the starch-diet rats, the study found. And it wasn’t that the
rats on the protein-rich diet didn’t like what they were eating, since the
researchers had made sure to include foods the rodents loved.

A more complex explanation for the protein-linked weight loss was revealed
through blood tests. They showed that two genes specifically involved in
intestinal glucose production were much more active in the protein-diet group
compared with the starch-diet group.

You May Also Like
Bacon and other meats May Increase Your Risk for This Lung Disease

Even after food absorption had been completed, the small intestines of the
protein-diet rats continued to deliver high levels of glucose into their portal
vein — a vessel that shuttles blood from the digestive system and other organs
to the liver.

Glucose sensors in the liver of these protein-diet rats were found, in turn,
to have signaled those areas of the brain responsible for appetite control —
bearing the message that liver glucose levels had risen. A quick and steady drop
off in both hunger and eating ensued.

Based on these findings, Mithieux and his team believe they have unraveled —
at least in rats — a connection between the digestive system and the central
nervous system that may explain why protein so quickly curbs hunger.

Because the human intestine also produces glucose, the researchers believe
this system might someday become key to treating weight disorders.

Dr. Ken Fujioka, director of nutrition and metabolic research at Scripps
Clinic in San Diego, expressed enthusiasm for the researchers’ work.

“The work is with rats, and in feeding it doesn’t always translate to
humans,” he said. “But the way they’ve looked at this is novel, and it does seem
to make sense.”

“It’s contrary to what many people think, which is that driving up glucose in
the blood will drive up eating, but that’s not necessarily true,” added Fujioka.
“And for a while now — over the last five years — we’ve really started to
realize that protein is one of the best foods for satiating the brain. So, this
paper shows that actually there’s some biology behind this.”

However, Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, cautioned that the study might
implicitly over-emphasize the benefits of protein.

“There’s definitely research out there that protein does help us to feel
satisfied with what we’ve eaten, on a smaller amount of food,” she said. “But
it’s not as simple as that, because there’s also certain carbohydrates —
particularly high-in-fiber-type carbohydrates, like whole wheat, bran, fruits
and vegetables — that will do that equally, if not better, than protein. So,
there’s this misconception that we need to eat all this protein.”

“Protein is just one piece of the puzzle,” she advised. “And the bottom line
is we need to consider more than protein when controlling appetite.”

More information

Check out the U.S. government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005.

SOURCES: Gilles Mithieux, Institut National de la Sante et de la
Recherche Medicale, Lyon, France; Lona Sandon, RD, assistant professor, clinical
nutrition, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and
spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association; Ken Fujioka, M.D., director,
nutition and metabolic research, Scripps Clinic, San Diego; November 2005
Cell Metabolism

Copyright © 2005 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.

August 24, 2010 by Morgan Curley

Read Next Article

The Latest In Weight Loss

Busta Rhymes at 50: “I’m Only Here to Inspire!”

Hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes, best known for his infectious lyrics and energy when on the mic, started out as a thin, lanky rapper with the crew Leaders of New School. As the years went by, his stature in hip-hop grew read more about Busta Rhymes at 50: “I’m Only Here to Inspire!”
how to get a smaller waist

How To Get A Smaller Waist: 25 Everyday Tips For A Smaller Waistline (Without Photoshop)

A flat stomach: It's not just about looking great in your favorite body-hugging outfit. Having a smaller waistline cuts your risk of heart disease, diabetes type 2, and other health problems. If you are searching "how to get a smaller read more about How To Get A Smaller Waist: 25 Everyday Tips For A Smaller Waistline (Without Photoshop)
life after 40

5 Steps To Fabulous After 40: It Can Be You!

For women, life after 40 can be an uncertain maze of emotional peaks and valleys - riddled with the physical changes that threaten the most toned of bodies and long-held notions of fabulosity. But an increasing number of high-powered women read more about 5 Steps To Fabulous After 40: It Can Be You!
morning routine

5 Ways To Make Your Morning Routine A Workout

Having trouble finding time to fit a quick workout into your daily routine? Working out while you get ready in the morning may just be your solution! Well, this may not be a full-fledged alternative, but it certainly can fill read more about 5 Ways To Make Your Morning Routine A Workout
summer body

Spring Training: 7 Ways To Get Fit For Summer

In case you haven’t noticed, summer will be here any minute and right about now, you’re probably panicking because those last pesky 10 or 20 pounds still haven’t melted off yet and are interfering with your summer body. Not to read more about Spring Training: 7 Ways To Get Fit For Summer
Beyonce

Beyoncé’s Top 7 Workout Secrets

Even though Beyoncé has chart-topping records and has received countless awards, she actually still gets nervous before a performance, and is sometimes self-conscious about how she looks on stage. In order to get ready for each grueling performance, she prepares for read more about Beyoncé’s Top 7 Workout Secrets

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • The McGhee Sextuplets: A Family Built On LoveThe McGhee Sextuplets: A Family Built On Love
  • Top 3 Mistakes Cooking Salmon (You Should Never Make Again)Top 3 Mistakes Cooking Salmon (You Should Never Make Again)
  • Black Don’t Crack: Mother Of 3 Photo Goes ViralBlack Don't Crack: Mother Of 3 Photo Goes Viral
  • Aleisha Allen: From Actress to Speech PathologistAleisha Allen: From Actress to Speech Pathologist
  • David And Tamela Mann On 34 Years Of Marriage: “I’ve Found A Good Thing”David And Tamela Mann On 34 Years Of Marriage: "I've Found A Good Thing"

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2022, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.