Higher-protein food could help overweight and fat people melt more fat, the results of a little research advise.
Research has revealed that obese people are less effective at burning fat after a meal than skinny people are. In the new research, Australian researchers looked at whether the protein structure of a meal affects that weight- linked gap.
They found that obese men and women burned more post-meal fat when they ate a high-protein breakfast and lunch than when they had lower-protein food. That is, the additional protein seemed to change the fat-burning shortfall seen in heavy persons.
"Our research advise people with higher body fat burn fat better after a high-protein meal than people with lower stages of body fat,"
A number of studies have suggested that high-protein diets might help people discard weight more easily — probably, in part, because protein suppresses hunger better than fat or carbohydrates do.
The modern study did not look at weight loss, so it's hopeless to tell whether the improved fat-burning seen in obese participants would convert into fewer pounds over time.
The protein-rich meals contained low-fat dairy, lean meat and eggs, along with bread and vegetables as carbohydrate sources. Vegetarian sources of protein have similar effects on overweight adults' fat metabolism.
