Metabolism, Fitness, and Nutrition

How proteins contribute to weight loss

Atkins, South Beach, Dukan…, they are all the names among the list of various diet fads that promote high-protein diet, as opposed to traditional serving sizes of carbohydrates and proteins. Though the approach may have been controversial and little understood for some people, it recently appears to may have a good scientific basis. At Imperial College London, a team of researchers has found that phenylalanine, a common end-product of digested protein, led to weight loss in rodents by reducing appetite. More specifically, phenylalanine works by increasing the level of GLP-1, a hormone that signals for satiety, and at the same time reduces the level of ghrelin hormone, which is responsible for signaling hunger. The researchers are now looking to prove the effects in humans and discover how to use this finding to help people with obesity.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161107191135.htm