Study of the Week: Protein Supplements May Help You Lose Weight

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What:
A clinical trial was conducted on obese adults to study the effects of whey protein, soy protein and a carbohydrate supplement on body weight and composition.  Ninety participants were randomly selected into three different supplement groups (1) whey protein (2) soy protein and (3) isoenergetic carbohydrate (protein substitution) – CHO.  Supplements were consumed through a beverage daily and no other nutritional advice was given.  The clinical trial was tested over 23 weeks and assessments were made monthly.

Results:
Researchers found that those that consumed whey protein had a reduction of 1.8 kg in body weight and 2.3 kg in fat mass than the group that consumed CHO.  In addition, waist circumference was smaller in those participants that consumed whey protein.  

So What?
Recently, the topic of high protein diets has been highlighted by the health and fitness industry.  I know I’ve had numerous friends and clients ask me about protein diets in the past few months.  This six month study demonstrates that consuming protein supplements can have a positive and statistically significant effect on weight loss and body composition.  Therefore, next time you’re thinking about a new diet plan give protein supplements a chance.  It is important to note that although whey protein did demonstrate a larger impact on waist circumference reduction than the other supplement groups, it did not show any significant difference from soy protein in other assessments (ie weight loss and body composition).  So for you vegetarians/organics eaters out there, soy protein could be a great supplement for you too.  Furthermore, it is important to highlight that this study studied a short term impact (six months).  Although this study is not conclusive of long term impacts of high protein diets and supplements, it does warrant further study into the potential positive impacts of protein diets on weight loss, fat loss and body composition change.

For more information on the study, check out the link below:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3145217/?tool=pubmed

Photo via Kurt Thomas Hunt