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    Home > Biochemistry News > Biotechnology News > "Protein starvation" leads to overeating and obesity

    "Protein starvation" leads to overeating and obesity

    • Last Update: 2023-01-06
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    Studies confirm that processed foods are key to the increase in obesity

            

    A large-scale population study showed that "protein starvation" led to overeating
    .

    A year-long study of the eating habits of 9341 Australians showed growing evidence that processed and refined foods are the main cause
    of the rise in obesity rates in Western countries.

    The new study, based on a national survey of nutrition and physical activity conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), further supports the "protein leverage hypothesis"
    .
    The study was conducted by the Charles Perkins Centre (CPC) at the University of Sydney and published in the latest issue of the journal Obesity
    .

    First proposed in 2005 by Professors Raubenheimer and Stephen Simpson, the protein leverage hypothesis holds that people consume excessive amounts of fat and carbohydrates because of the body's strong appetite for protein, which the body prefers above anything else
    .
    Because many modern diets are made up of highly processed and refined foods that are low in protein, people are forced to eat more energy-dense foods until their protein needs
    are met.

    Processed foods lack protein and are prone to appetite

    "As people consume more junk food or highly processed and refined foods, they dilute protein in their diets, increasing the risk of being overweight and obese, which we know increases the risk of chronic disease," said
    Dr.
    Amanda Grech, a postdoctoral researcher at CPC and the university's School of Life and Environmental Sciences.

    "It is becoming increasingly clear that our bodies eat to meet protein goals," added
    Professor David Raubenheimer, the Leonard Uhlmann Chair in Nutritional Ecology in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
    "But the problem is that there is less and less protein in food in the Western diet
    .
    So, in order to reach your protein goals, you must consume more protein, which effectively boosts your daily energy intake
    .

    "Like many other species, humans have a greater
    appetite for protein than fats and carbohydrates, the nutrients that provide the primary energy.
    This means that if the protein in our diet is diluted with fat and carbohydrates, we consume more energy to get the protein
    our body needs.

    Protein is essential for good health

    Protein is the building block of life: every cell in the body contains proteins, which are used to repair cells or make new ones; It is estimated that the human body needs more than a million forms of protein to function
    properly.
    Protein sources include meat, milk, fish, eggs, soy, legumes, legumes, and some grains such as wheat germ and quinoa
    .

    Scientists at the University of Sydney analysed data from a cross-sectional survey of 9,341 adults on nutrition and physical activity called the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey, conducted between May 2011 and June 2012, with an average age of 46.
    3 years
    。 They found that the average energy intake of Britons was 8671 kilojoules (kJ), with an average energy intake of only 18.
    4% for protein, 43.
    5% for carbohydrates, 30.
    9% for fat, and 2.
    2% for fiber and 4.
    3%
    for alcohol.

    They then mapped the relationship between energy intake and time spent and found that this pattern was consistent
    with what the protein leverage hypothesis predicted.
    Those who ate less protein at the first meal of the day increased their overall food intake over the next few meals, while those who consumed the recommended amount of protein did not—in fact, their food intake decreased
    throughout the day.

    "Protein starvation" leads to overeating

    They also found a statistically significant difference between the two groups before the third meal of the day: Those who got a higher proportion of energy from protein at the beginning of the day had much
    lower total energy intake for the day.
    At the same time, those who consumed foods low in protein at the beginning of the day continued to increase their protein intake, suggesting that they are seeking to compensate
    with higher overall energy expenditure.
    Although the first meal is the least of the two groups, it consumes the least energy and food, while the last meal is the most
    .

    Participants who consumed less protein at first meal than the recommended intake of more freely available foods throughout the day – energy-dense foods high in saturated fat, sugar, salt or alcohol – compared with the recommended five food groups (cereals; vegetables and legumes; Fruit; dairy and meat).

    As a result, they ate worse overall at each mealtime, and even as their free food intake increased, their protein-to-energy percentage declined — what scientists call "protein dilution.
    "

    This has also been reflected in other studies

    Professor Raubenheimer and his colleagues found this effect
    in other studies, including randomized controlled trials, more than a decade ago.

    "The problem with randomized controlled trials is that they treat diet as a disease when it really isn't," Dr.
    Greich said
    .
    "Laboratory studies may not be able to say anything about what people actually eat and do
    at the population level.
    So this study is important because it builds on work that shows that people do need protein
    .
    Studies have confirmed that at the population level, as the proportion of protein in the diet increases in energy, people consume less
    fat and carbohydrates.

    Scientists at the University of Sydney believe that while there are many factors that contribute to overweight, including eating habits, physical activity levels and sleep habits, the body's strong appetite for protein, as well as the lack of refined and refined foods, are the main drivers of energy overconsumption and obesity in the Western world
    .

    Obesity explained

    Professor Raubenheimer said: "The findings support a comprehensive ecological and mechanistic explanation of obesity that low-protein, highly processed foods lead to higher energy intake to address nutritional imbalances
    caused by a major appetite for protein.
    It supports the central role of protein in the obesity epidemic, which has a significant impact
    on global health.

    To understand how protein drives human nutrition, Professor Raubenheimer also studied the diets of people in some of the most remote areas, from the Congo to the Himalayas
    .
    "The protein mechanism in appetite is a revolutionary insight," he said
    .
    "Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease – they're all caused by diet, and we have to use what we've learned to control them
    .
    "

    “Macronutrient (im)balance drives energy intake in an obesogenic food environment: An ecological analysis” by Amanda Grech, Zhixian Sui, Anna Rangan, Stephen J.
    Simpson, Sean C.
    P.
    Coogan and David Raubenheimer, 2 November 2022, Obesity.
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