Metabolic
Cutting protein from your diet could help stimulate a faster metabolism
It turns out that changing your metabolism may not be as difficult as you thought, according to a new study.
While piles and piles of fashion diet information lead us to believe that a low-carb, high-protein diet is necessary for a muscular, healthy physique, it turns out that it may not entirely be the case.
Protein may not be the panacea for weight loss. Learn more below.
The Effects of Reducing High Protein in Your Diet
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) – of which there are three – are essential for the human body. They make up a third of the nine essential amino acids. Isoleucine, leucine, and valine – as well as their other amino acid counterparts – are not made in the human body and must be ingested with the food we eat. The BCAA isoleucine is found in eggs, seeds, nuts, fish, poultry, lentils, and many of the foods we want to eat in the weight loss industry.
All diets – including Keto, Mediterranean, Paleo, and intermittent fasting – encourage higher protein intake than the average modern diet often allows.
While many diets like this encourage choosing foods high in BCAAs, a lot of literature on the subject actually found that focusing on BCAA intake could actually be harmful.
Research shows that diets high in the three branched chain amino acids are actually linked to debilitating diseases like obesity, diabetes, and metabolic problems.
The new study, led by Dr. Dudley Lamming, Nicole Richarson, and Deyang Yu at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical Department’s Endocrinology Department reflect more of a reason to make a diet change.
What the research found
Dudley and his team fed mice high-sugar and high-fat diets for several weeks to get them used to a heartbreaking Western diet. The obese mice were then subjected to ingestion and performance tests. After a change in diet and a restriction on isoleucine – effectively removing ⅔ of the normal amount of BCAAs – the subject’s mice began to eat more. This would be of concern in any other context, but the mice ate more and lost weight at the same time.
How could that be? How could a mammal ingest less of a marketable essential nutrient and somehow end up in better shape? According to researchers, “the weight loss was primarily caused by a faster metabolism, in which the body burns more calories than heat when at rest.” Isoleucine restriction showed the most consistent and positive results of the three. And weight loss wasn’t the only noticeable result of this low-isoleucine diet. Mice that consumed less of this critical BCAA had healthier blood sugar metabolism over time and had leaner muscle mass.
The study also showed some interesting results regarding the sex of the mice. The press release states, “Male mice that consumed the food their entire life lived on average about 30% longer – about eight more months. It is not clear why female mice did not benefit, although other research suggests that female mice may need a slightly different diet to see benefits from reduced BCAA consumption. “
What should you do instead?
While your ordinary weight loss routine may prompt you to consume foods high in BCAA, your research should be based on your specific genetic structure and metabolic type. For certain body types and lifestyles, too much protein can directly contribute to weight gain.
Even high-calorie “healthy” snacks can often provide too much protein or BCAA material and lead to weight gain and metabolic problems. Diets should never be hailed as a “panacea,” as is often the case in the western world.
Consider adding more plant-based protein options to your diet. Although they contain less protein than their whey and meat counterparts, they might be what your body craves.
Whichever diet or exercise plan you find worthy of your own body chemistry, make sure that you are always getting the recommended amount of sleep.
Achieving deep sleep levels each night is essential to your cognitive function and will help you regain the energy necessary for the healthy and efficient processing of proteins and other nutrients. Gentle cycling and cycling also show immense health improvements in the research participants.