The BEST Form of Protein for Fat Loss

I was reviewing some research for a project we’ve been plugging away at over here…

…and came across a very cool new study published just last month about boosting fat loss:

Protein choices targeting thermogenesis and metabolism. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Mar;93(3):525-34)

First, some background.

Protein increases metabolism more than carbohydrates and fat.  So you eat protein with a meal and what’s called the "thermic effect of feeding" increases more to digest, breakdown, and metabolism the food.  The higher the caloric burn, theoretically the greater the weight loss.

Combine that data with the fact that protein helps fill you up more and you’ve got a win win for weight loss.  Of course there’s more specifics to cover; we could go on about the quality of the protein as well and, in fact, this study did just that.

It measured the effects of supplemental proteins — whey, casein, or soy – on metabolism, satiety, and blood sugar.  These 3 were compared to an equal calorie carbohydrate feeding.

What did they find?  All proteins were "better" in this case than carbohydrate in terms of the metabolic increase.  Next, looking specifically at the different types of protein, the whey protein caused a significantly greater increase in metabolism than both casein and soy.

On the flip side, casein and soy were reported as more satiating than the whey … but, more important than any of this scientific mumbo jumbo is that the whey was more "liked" compared to the others.

And at the end of the day, compliance is most important.  Regardless of how wonderful something may seem on paper, if it’s not going to be used, it’s not very effective anyhow.

Mohr Results Bottom Line: Protein should be part of every single meal.  Each type of protein has unique benefits and properties, but if you’re looking for that metabolic "boost" — whey seems to have the greatest punch in that department and it scores high in the ‘likeability’ scale.

Looking for a way to add whey protein to your diet?  Check out how I made over a Dairy Queen Blizzard in this video

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