Your body keeps making you hungry until you’ve eaten enough protein—so if you skip breakfast, you’ll end up eating more later to get the protein you need.
Scientific Claim
Protein intake regulates total caloric consumption via a homeostatic mechanism wherein appetite persists until a threshold of protein consumption is met, leading to increased total caloric intake when protein is delayed or insufficient in early meals.
Original Statement
“We have solid, very solid evidence that suggests that we will continue to eat until our basic protein needs are met. If we skip breakfast and if our calories are allocated to later in the day, we are going to continue to crave food until those protein needs are met.”
Context Details
Domain
nutrition
Population
human
Subject
Protein intake
Action
regulates
Target
total caloric consumption via a homeostatic mechanism wherein appetite persists until a threshold of protein consumption is met
Intervention Details
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (2)
When people ate a meal with less protein than usual, they ended up eating more calories that day—even though they didn’t feel hungrier—suggesting their body keeps eating until it gets enough protein.
Effects of high-protein vs. high- fat snacks on appetite control, satiety, and eating initiation in healthy women
Eating a protein-rich yogurt snack in the afternoon made women feel less hungry later and eat less at dinner, showing that getting enough protein helps control how much you eat overall.