Protein Restriction Improves Metabolic Dysfunction, Prospective Study Says

Protein Restriction Improves Metabolic Dysfunction, Prospective Study Says

Protein is an important macronutrient and a building block for our body. This is why add protein to our Energy Pods as well. One of the major issues with protein is that foods made using protein are not as tasty or preferred by the mass public. This prospective study(1) with 21 subjects used either caloric restriction or isocaloric dietary protein restriction for 27 days:

  • Caloric Restriction: 5941(1419 calories) ± 686 KJ per day with 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat, and 20% protein
  • Protein Restriction: 8409(2010 calories) ± 2360 KJ per day with 60% carbohydrates, 30% fats, and 10% protein(0.8g/kg protein)
  • Sodium Chloride(table salt) was kept fixed at 4g per day

Scientists noticed that calorie restriction and protein restriction improved insulin sensitivity by 62.5% and 93.2% respectively after the intervention. The microbiome was not influenced by the treatment and energy parameters were not significantly different either. The substantial difference was leukocyte proliferation which pertains to the immune system. 

Though the fat loss, present in both groups, was slightly higher(6.2% BMI decrease in protein restriction versus 6.5% BMI decrease in calorie restriction) in the calorie restriction group, this is likely because the group consumed far fewer calories and protein wasn't the dominant contributor here. As a side note, we've looked at the science behind protein and satiety and found that protein on its own doesn't induce satiety(2)

Though the study had a small sample size, being a prospective study, this is a step towards a less restrictive diet that shows benefits despite the reduction in protein. Energy Pods have roughly 15% or 10 grams of protein per Energy Pod. Energy Pods can be incorporated smartly into both a low-protein (such as the diet in this study) and a high-protein diet(for athletes looking to gain lean mass.)