Macro partitioning
Long-term high-protein diets (≥25% energy) do not provide superior weight loss, fat loss, or cardiovascular risk reduction compared to low-protein diets when both are low-fat.
If you are trying to lose weight or improve heart health over the long term, simply increasing your protein intake (to ≥25% of calories) will not give you an advantage over a standard low-protein diet, provided both diets are low in fat and you maintain a caloric deficit. Focus on total energy intake and fat quality rather than maximizing protein.
According to the present meta-analysis of long-term RCTs, high-protein diets exerted neither specific beneficial nor detrimental effects on outcome markers of obesity, cardiovascular disease or glycemic control.
Why this rating
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 RCTs, though limited by heterogeneity in some lipid measures and potential publication bias.
Source
Long-term effects of low-fat diets either low or high in protein on cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Lukas Schwingshackl et al. · Nutrition Journal · 2013
DOI 10.1186/1475-2891-12-48
More from this paper
- Long-term high-protein diets significantly improve fasting insulin levels compared to low-protein diets, but this benefit disappears when only high-quality studies are analyzed.Moderate
- High-protein diets significantly increase HDL cholesterol compared to low-protein diets, but only when studies involving Type 2 Diabetics are excluded.Moderate
Related findings · Macro partitioning
- Total daily protein intake of 1.6 g/kg/day is sufficient for maximizing resistance training-induced muscle gains, with an upper confidence interval of 2.2 g/kg/day.Strong
- Resistance exercise training combined with sufficient dietary protein intake acts synergistically to maximize skeletal muscle hypertrophy, with protein intake saturating around 1.6 g/kg/day for general populations and potentially requiring 2.0-2.2 g/kg/day for resistance-trained individuals.Strong
- Trans fats should be completely eliminated from the diet, as they increase LDL cholesterol, decrease HDL cholesterol, and are directly associated with increased coronary risk.Strong
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