Benefits of Higher Protein Intake During Weight Loss
Have you been working on losing weight but need some more info on how to best keep healthy while losing weight? Researchers from Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA did a study in 2022 that contains a key new finding.1 They demonstrated that a higher protein intake during weight loss was crucial to maintenance of muscle mass. It is not widely known, but during periods of weight loss, not just fat can be lost, but also muscle mass. For those interested in counting calories, the increase in question between lower and higher protein groups was about 20 grams. Biohackers looking to lose body fat but maintain or grow muscle mass should take note. the researchers explained, “Individuals with overweight and obesity improved the quality of their diet more with a higher (79 g/d) compared with a lower (58 g/d) protein intake.”
Count How Many Grams of Protein You’re Getting!
Key to using this finding is that not only that higher protein intake is crucial during weight loss. It’s best when using this study finding to learn about the nutritional information of your diet and count grams of protein. It’s actually fairly rare for people to be aware of how many grams of protein they consume per day. We tend to operate on a vague sense of “This has more protein than that”. Do your best to learn how much protein you’re getting with various foods, so you can get closer to the 80 grams per day which this study indicates is best for those on a weight loss program.
Don’t Forget Vitamins and Minerals. Happy Dieting!
The benefits of weight loss are many. However, it’s important to be very careful about diet during weight loss. The Rutgers researchers explain, “Weight loss (WL) of 5% to 10% may prevent chronic disease; however, WL diets that restrict energy also reduce healthy food and micronutrient intake.” Because a person eats less during weight loss if using the typical calorie-restriction method, less vitamins, minerals, and protein may be consumed unless diet is carefully selected based on nutritional information. This study helps make it even more clear: we should be paying close attention to what we eat, so that enough protein and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) are consumed!
- Ogilvie, A., Schlussel, Y., Sukumar, D., Meng, L., & Shapses, S. A. (2022). Higher protein intake during caloric restriction improves diet quality and attenuates loss of lean body mass. Obesity, 30(7), 1411–1419. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23428
