WebMD Medical News Laura J. Martin, MD Jan. 3, 2012 -- Here’s a
new study we really could have used before the holidays: If you
are going to overeat, be sure your diet has enough protein. Body
fat increases in all who overeat, regardless of the level of
protein eaten, the researchers found. But those who overate with
low protein levels in their diet stored a higher percent of
calories as fat. They also lost lean body mass, while those on
the higher-protein diets gained lean body mass. The messages are
clear, says researcher George Bray, MD, Boyd professor and
professor of medicine at the Pennington Biomedical Research
Center in Baton Rouge, La. Calories count, and so does protein.
"Very low protein diets are clearly detrimental," Bray says.
"You lose lean body mass." The study is published in the Journal
of the American Medical Association. Other experts have
suggested that overeating either on a low- or high-protein diet
would produce less weight gain than overeating with normal
protein intake. Bray and his