High-Protein Meals Benefit Weight Management Efforts

Consuming meals that are high in protein may help people to feel more full afterward, according to a recent meta-analysis.

Previous studies have suggested that high-protein meals could benefit weight loss, but the direct effects of protein on appetite sensations such as fullness are less well understood.
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To further examine the relationship, researchers conducted a meta-analysis involving data from 5 studies, and a directional analysis of data from 28 studies. The meta-analysis includind only studies of healthy adults using a preload design and protein from whole dietary protein like yogurt or eggs. They also required that the studies measure fullness over 2-4 hours after the meal, while the 28 studies in the directional analysis were free to measure fullness in a variety of ways.

Overall, the meta-analysis deteremined that higher protein preloads have a greater effect on fullness than lower protein preloads. In the directional analysis, 11 of the 28 studies reported a significant effect on fullness from protein preloads, while the other 17 studies did not report any effect.

“The present analyses show that higher protein preloads increase fullness ratings more than lower protein preloads under tightly defined conditions,” they concluded.

“Extrapolation of findings to common conditions outside the specified criteria of this analysis must be made cautiously, as must speculation about the influence of fullness sensations on ingestive behavior, body weight, and various health outcomes.”

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Dhillon J, Craig BA, Leidy HJ, et al. The effects of increased protein intake on fullness: a meta-analysis and its limitations. J Acad Nutrition Dietetics. 2016 [epub ahead of print]. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.01.003.