High protein diet reduces/eliminates improvements in insulin sensitivity

goldthistime

http://time.com/4526448/high-protein-diet-weight-loss-insulin/

I tried searching to see if there is already a thread discussing this study but couldn't find one. Please post a link if it's already being discussed.

I'm surprised by the results of this study and by the epidemiological evidence that led the researchers to construct this study. Wondering if anyone has guesses as to why metabolic improvements were virtually eliminated in the high protein group (who, like the control group, lost 10% of their starting weight). Or reasons to doubt the validity of the study if applicable.

cwolfman13

Excessive protein just turns into really expensive glucose...

goldthistime

Noel_57 wrote: »

Most people on MFP who practice low carb already know this. Too much dietary protein is converted to blood glucose and and can negate the effect of normalizing blood sugar and insulin levels. That's why most low carbers these day lean towards the keto way - which is higher in dietary fats and moderate to low protein.

I've never read this, although, not being a low carber, I haven't read all the threads. I'm still surprised because I thought the whole benefit of protein was that it kept blood glucose levels steady because it digested slowly. So anyone with pre-diabetes should follow keto? Interesting.

MzManiak

My son is a type 1 diabetic. He covers all of his carbohydrates with synthetic insulin. Protein has no carbs and doesn't normally require insulin, however if it is a meal with high protein or only protein (bacon, eggs, sausage) then yes, he'll need insulin to help keep his blood sugar from spiking for the reason @Noel_57 mentioned. Your body uses carbs for energy, but it can use protein if needed by converting it into glucose just as it would the carbs. It's a longer process, but unless you're experiencing problems with high blood sugar, it isn't alarming. If your glucose goes up, your pancreas will make the extra insulin to bring it back down.

middlehaitch

I would be interested in seeing the paper that this story was derived from.

The numbers are too sketchy to draw any conclusions.

Personally, as a post menopausal woman of average weight with no metabolic problems, I try to keep my protien at .8-1.2g per lb of LBM. (80-100g) It helps retain my muscles. Whether that is thought of as a high protein diet is not clear in that article. It is about 30% of my daily intake.

There is quite a bit of research available that encourages a higher level of protein as we age as it does help in muscle retention even in the elderly sedentary population.

The women in the high protein were given between 37.5-62.5g protein above those that were given the recommended intake, which wasn't clarified.

As an FYI there was a post on protein a couple of weeks ago with a calculator link for recommended daily intake and it advised 36g per day for me- I think that is very low.

Interested to see further comments on this.

Cheers, h.

Just thought I should add for clarity:-
Age 63, long term maintenance weight 100-105, height 5'1. Cal intake somewhere around 1350-1500. Mildly active, lifts weights.

MzManiak

goldthistime wrote: »

Noel_57 wrote: »

Most people on MFP who practice low carb already know this. Too much dietary protein is converted to blood glucose and and can negate the effect of normalizing blood sugar and insulin levels. That's why most low carbers these day lean towards the keto way - which is higher in dietary fats and moderate to low protein.

I've never read this, although, not being a low carber, I haven't read all the threads. I'm still surprised because I thought the whole benefit of protein was that it kept blood glucose levels steady because it digested slowly. So anyone with pre-diabetes should follow keto? Interesting.

Not necessarily. I would ask how much protein these women were actually consuming, and what their daily activity was, before assuming that more protein in a normal diet is inherently bad.

AlabasterVerve

It was 34 sedentary postmenopausal women with obesity with the "high" protein group given two whey protein isolate shakes a day. Neither group were particularly high protein though so... interesting and curious but that's it, IMO.

I'll be interested to see if these results can be replicated though and will be following along to see if this thread goes anywhere. Here's a link to the study if anyone missed it: Study

middlehaitch

Thanks @AlabasterVerve, I did miss the study.

Cheers, h.

cwolfman13

goldthistime wrote: »

Noel_57 wrote: »

Most people on MFP who practice low carb already know this. Too much dietary protein is converted to blood glucose and and can negate the effect of normalizing blood sugar and insulin levels. That's why most low carbers these day lean towards the keto way - which is higher in dietary fats and moderate to low protein.

I've never read this, although, not being a low carber, I haven't read all the threads. I'm still surprised because I thought the whole benefit of protein was that it kept blood glucose levels steady because it digested slowly. So anyone with pre-diabetes should follow keto? Interesting.

No...I was pre-diabetic...I am (new term I learned yesterday) flexiterian...which means I eat a substantially plant based diet and meat sometimes...plenty of carbs in that beans and lentils and other pulses are staples...oats on the regular...potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc...plenty of carbs and I am no longer pre-diabetic...I just eat less junk food and less refined/processed foods and mostly whole foods...and I exercise on the regular...about 10 hours per week.

I actually find it quite irritating that basically keto folks preach that keto is the only way to go if you have insulin resistance...hardly the case and for some people (me) it could actually do more harm than good...but of course that goes against their "religion" so they never mention that there's even the possibility that anything negative could come from keto...it cures everything just in case you didn't know.

Actually keto would be worse for me...I eat the way I eat primarily to control uric acid as I have gouty arthritis...eating the way I do keeps the pain away because it's a low animal purine diet...keto diets generally result in an increase in uric acid in the blood...this is an inherent trait of being in ketosis...many people never have an issue...but many people develop gout because of the raised uric acid levels...it would be a disaster diet for me personally.

RodaRose

Here is the link to the actual study:

http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abstract/S2211-1247(16)31286-4Highlights

•A high-protein weight loss (HP-WL) diet preserves lean body mass
•A HP-WL diet prevents the WL-induced improvement in insulin sensitivity
•A HP-WL diet alters WL-induced transcriptional changes in muscle
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Summary
High-protein (HP) intake during weight loss (WL) therapy is often recommended because it reduces the loss of lean tissue mass. However, HP intake could have adverse effects on metabolic function, because protein ingestion reduces postprandial insulin sensitivity. In this study, we compared the effects of ∼10% WL with a hypocaloric diet containing 0.8 g protein/kg/day and a hypocaloric diet containing 1.2 g protein/kg/day on muscle insulin action in postmenopausal women with obesity. We found that HP intake reduced the WL-induced decline in lean tissue mass by ∼45%.
However, HP intake also prevented the WL-induced improvements in muscle insulin signaling and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, as well as the WL-induced adaptations in oxidative stress and cell structural biology pathways. Our data demonstrate that the protein content of a WL diet can have profound effects on metabolic function and underscore the importance of considering dietary macronutrient composition during WL therapy for people with obesity.

goldthistime

Here is another article discussing the study where the researcher is quoted as saying the "link appears to be oxidative stress". I don't get it. Anyone care to hazard a guess?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/10/12/high-protein-diets-may-negate-some-of-the-benefits-of-losing-weight/#4becbfa37035

ETA: I'm reading about diabetes and oxidative stress now (link below if you're interested).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2996922/