Impacts of Essential Protein, Amino Acids in Treating Obesity

Abstract

For years, dietary proteins have been used to treat obesity. Losing body fat is beneficial, but losing fat free mass - especially muscle - may be detrimental. Anabolic dietary compounds like proteins might counter fat free mass loss while allowing fat mass loss because protein breakdown predominates over synthesis. When rats are fed a low protein diet, varying the protein quantity decreases muscle anabolic response and increases hyperphagia; but if humans are fed a high protein diet, it promotes lean mass maintenance and satiation. Aside from protein quantity, protein source is also an important metabolic regulator: whey protein and plantbased diets have favorable effects on obesity risk, body composition, metabolic parameters, and fat free mass preservation. It has also been shown that specific amino acids like branched chain amino acids (BCAA), methionine, tryptophan, and its metabolites, and glutamate can positively influence parameters and complications of obesity, especially in rodent models, although there are fewer human studies proving this.