Protein Makes You Feel Fuller

From the Health and Nutrition Letter

This is not to try and confuse people just as the low-carb craze is settling down, but as it turn out, they have found that the protein used in these diets to replace carbohydrates seems to suppress the appetite.

In a small test they found that people felt less hungry when their calorie intake from protein was increased from 15% to 30%. At the same time, calories from fat were cut from 35% to 20%. People felt less hungry. (note: carbohydrate calories were kept constant)

It is important for us to figure out how to make people feel full with fewer calories. After this one small study was completed the authors asked the volunteers to eat as many calories as they liked-as long as their intake stuck to that high-protein, low-fat ratio. Even though there was no ceiling on their calories, during this period the subjects actually reduced their eating by an average 441 calories a day and lost 8.2 pounds in fat mass.

Scientists don't yet know why protein makes you feel fuller than other foods, but a recently funded European study involving 1500-3000 subjects may provide some answers. It will be carried out over a long duration of time to also provide some answers, as to any potential adverse effects of a higher protein diet.