You Can Increase Benefits Of Exercise With Protein

A University of Illinois study indicates that exercise is more effective when coupled with a high-protein diet.

A diet higher in carbohydrates based on the USDA food guide pyramid, on the other hand, reduced the effectiveness of exercise.

100 Percent of Weight Lost Was Fat

Forty-eight women, divided into two groups, participated in the four-month study. One group substituted protein-rich foods, like meats, dairy, eggs, and nuts, for carbohydrate-laden foods like as breads, rice, cereal, pasta, and potatoes.

Both groups were required to exercise at various levels of exertion. The protein-rich, high-exercise group lost the most weight, and nearly 100 percent of the weight loss was fat. In the high-carbohydrate, high-exercise group, 25 to 30 percent of the weight lost was muscle.

While this protein-rich diet seems very effective for people who have Metabolic Syndroem (Syndrome X), a combination of high triglyceride levels and excess weight in their midsections.

Leucine Works with Insulin

The protein-rich diet works well because it contains high levels of the amino acid leucine, which works with insulin to helps stimulate protein synthesis in muscle.

The study was funded by the Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR), the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the Beef Board, and Kraft Foods.




Journal of Nutrition August 2005; 135 (8): 1903-1910

Medical News Today August 29, 2005