The Study
Higher protein intake during caloric restriction improves diet quality and attenuates loss of lean body mass
This study watched what people naturally did when trying to lose weight — some ate more protein, some ate less — and noticed that the ones who ate more protein also tended to eat healthier and lose less muscle. But it didn’t make them change their diet, so we can’t say the protein itself caused the good results.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
When people eat more protein while trying to lose weight, they tend to eat more vegetables and less sugary snacks and white bread — and they lose less muscle.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 564 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Losing less muscle helps you stay stronger and healthier while losing weight — especially important as you age.
- 2People who ate 79g of protein daily lost 0.6% of their muscle; those who ate 58g lost 1.2%.
- 3Higher protein eaters also ate more green veggies and less sugar and white bread.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
Year
2022
Authors
A. Ogilvie, Y. Schlussel, D. Sukumar, L. Meng, S. Shapses
Related Content
Claims (4)
Consuming 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight while significantly reducing calorie intake maintains the amount of lean body mass.
Among adults with overweight or obesity who reduce their calorie intake, those who choose to eat 79 grams of protein per day tend to have better diet quality, measured by higher intake of green vegetables and lower intake of refined grains and added sugars.
Among adults with overweight or obesity who are reducing calorie intake, those consuming 79 grams of protein per day eat more green vegetables and fewer refined grains and added sugars than those consuming less protein, even when total calorie intake is the same.
Among adults with overweight or obesity who reduce calorie intake for six months, those who eat more protein lose less lean body mass than those who eat less protein.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.