Scientists Find New Fat Loss Properties of Protein

29 Apr 2014

In 2013, high protein diets like the Dukan Diet became increasingly popular as the Middleton’s credited it for their impressive Royal Wedding figures. As a result protein powder sales increased in the dieting sector and more studies were conducted into the area of protein being an effective fat loss aid. But it’s not until recently that scientists have managed to exactly pin-point the reasons protein could be the new miracle fat loss pill many have been searching for all this time.

Milk Protein Powder Controls Appetite

It’s widely known that high protein foods increase the feeling of being full (Kristin Vandewater et al, 1996) but researchers in Switzerland decided to take this one step further and set out to determine exactly which type of protein was best for producing a feeling of satiety. Rania Abou-Samra et al (2011) took a group of 32 male subjects and randomly assigned them to consume 20g of casein (or milk protein), whey or pea protein 30 minutes before eating a meal and their appetite and desire to eat that meal was then subjectively measured. The study concluded that the ‘casein (milk protein) and pea protein showed a stronger effect on food intake compared to whey when consumed as a preload’ meaning both casein and pea protein were considered to make you feel fuller for longer compared to whey protein. 

As well as subjectively helping to suppress appetite, it seems nutritionists can also pinpoint casein’s benefits when looking at it’s unique amino acid content since it contains certain amino acids that have been show to help create feelings of being full. For instance per 100g of casein contains 5.2 grams of the non-essential amino acid tyrosine (whey protein contains 2.6g) that has been shown to help certain neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine. These neurotransmitters (that help to send chemical signals to the brain) have been linked to motivation and focus and can therefore, in theory at least, reduce a persons desire to eat by helping them remain motivated during their diet.

Also per 100g it contains 5.1 grams of the essential amino acid Phenylalanine (whey protein contains 3 grams), and it’s this amino acid that’s been shown to help regulate the brain’s ability to know when it’s full. Therefore it seems casein not only proves well in subjective studies but scientific theory could also support its place in someone’s diet looking to lose weight.

Whey Protein Powder Burns Calories

As well as having appetite suppressing properties, researchers in Switzerland also set out to determine if protein (more specifically whey protein) had a ‘thermic effect’. What this means is it actually requires calories to digest so you burn energy just from ingesting it. To test this theory they took 23 healthy lean adults and gave them meals consisting of whey protein, casein protein and soy protein. The thermic effect of each meal (so the amount of calories it takes to digest the protein) was then measured before and then 5.5 hours after their consumption. The study found that the thermic effect of the whey protein was higher than both the casein and soy protein and that cumulative fat oxidisation was also higher in the whey.

For these exact reasons scientists have created Diet Whey Complex which is a combination of whey protein, milk protein and active fat loss ingredients like Green Tea Extract, Chromium, L Carnitine and more. Just 12.49 for 500g: