Red meat is back in the news , and once again it’s being singled out as being uniquely bad for you.  Here’s the sound bite: Eating red meat increases stroke risk while eating poultry reduces it.   But, there’s a little bit more to the story. (There usually is.)

First of all, the 28% increase in stroke risk applied to people eating more than half a pound of red meat a day.  That’s two or three servings of red meat every single day–or twice the average amount of red meat consumed by Americans.   Surely that should be part of the story.

But here’s what really makes me crazy. [click to continue…]

{ 9 comments }

The Managing Editor of ABC News Medical Unit emailed me yesterday, asking for help understanding a new study on high protein diets.  In the study, the researchers put people on high-calorie diets ranging from 5 to 25% protein. They expected to find that the people on the high-protein diets would gain less fat.  In fact, all three groups gained the same amount of fat. But the researchers were also surprised to find that those on the low-protein diet gained less weight.

“I am having trouble figuring out if low protein is a good thing thing or a bad thing according to this study,” he wrote. “Isn’t it good that it lead to [less weight gain] than high protein? I am not sure what message there is for the public.”

Here’s my answer:

First, remember this study involved purposely over-feeding people in order to make them gain weight, so it’s not directly relevant to people who are restricting calories in order to lose or maintain their weight.  (And, as an aside, people who eat more protein often end up eating fewer calories because protein tends to be more satiating.)

See also: How to Eat Less Without Feeling Hungry

Secondly, the subjects all gained similar amounts of body fat, which is exactly what you would expect when people eat more calories than they burn..the excess is stored as fat.

The key finding in my mind is that the people on the higher protein diet gained lean muscle tissue (in addition to fat) and the people on the lower protein diet lost lean muscle tissue.  That explains why the high protein group gained more weight. But it does not mean that they ended up worse off.  In fact, you could argue that the increase in muscle tissue (and the corresponding increase in metabolism) in the high protein group partially offsets the negative impact of the fat gain.

As I commented to Roger, I think there are two take-home messages for the public, neither of which is particularly new:

1.  Too many calories will lead to an increase in stored fat, no matter what the source of those calories.
2. Higher-protein diets appear to promote (or at least preserve) lean muscle tissue and that’s generally a good thing.

And one important take-home message for the scientific community.

3. BMI (weight) doesn’t tell the whole story. When evaluating the effects of different diets on health, you need to take body composition (percentages of body fat and lean muscle) into consideration as well.  In this study, if you only looked at the change in BMI, you’d conclude that the high-protein diet did more damage than the low-protein diet. But when you look at the changes in lean body tissue and fat, it appears to be just the opposite. If I weigh more but have less fat and more muscle, I’m probably better off than someone who weighs less but has more fat.

Related content: How Much Protein Should You Eat?

{ 2 comments }

We’ll be ringing in a new year soon and I daresay a few glasses of champagne or other spirits will be enjoyed by many Nutrition Over Easy readers. So this seems like the perfect time to address some of the lore about alcohol and nutrition. For example, is it a good idea to eat a big meal if you’re going to be drinking? If you’ve over-indulged, can certain foods ward off a hangover? Is it true that alcohol is metabolized into sugar or that it blocks your body’s ability to burn fat? Answers to these and other frequently asked questions about alcohol—along with my tips on how to indulge safely—are in this week’s Nutrition Diva Podcast. Read or listen to it here.

{ 0 comments }

{ 1 comment }

← Previous Entries

The content provided by this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide personal medical advice. (Please read our full disclaimer.) Logo design by Christian Larsen. Copyright © 2011 Nutrition Over Easy. All rights reserved.