Whey protein is more effective than red meat in reducing body weight gain and increasing insulin sensitivity, shows a new study on rats. It supports previous evidence that a high-protein diet can reduce body weight and increase insulin sensitivity but suggests that the type of protein may also have a role to play. If the findings are confirmed in people, they could have a significant impact on manufacturers involved in the weight loss market and those catering to Atkins fans. Researchers from the University of Adelaide and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization also based in Adelaide, Australia, fed rats a high-fat diet (300g fat per kg) for nine weeks, then switched to a diet containing either 80 or 320g protein per kg, provided by either whey protein concentrate or red meat for six weeks. High dietary protein reduced energy intake and visceral, subcutaneous and carcass fat, they report in this month’s issue of the Journal of Nutrition (134:1454-1458).
