When it comes to muscle, we generally understand the vital role protein consumption plays. After all, the driving force for muscle growth is aptly named muscle protein synthesis. We typically stress the importance of protein in times of bulking, where one intentionally puts on weight in hopes that it results in added muscle.
What we don’t talk about as much is, if we’re trying to lose weight, especially fat, then what do we do about our protein?
Some research suggests that you should be eating more protein during weight loss than you would during a bulk, but to further push its importance, what if we were to find out that more protein also helps you burn more fat?
In a 2016 4-week study, 40 overweight people and recreationally active young men were split into two groups. Both groups had the same weight-loss diets and were given the same weekly six-day exercise protocol consisting of resistance, aerobic and anaerobic training.
The only difference between the two groups is the experimental protein shakes they were given 3-4 times a day. One group was given a shake that pushed their total daily protein intake to 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight, while the other group was given twice as much protein at 2.4 grams.
After 4 weeks, what did they find in terms of body composition?
With such an extreme weight loss diet at 40% calorie reduction, both groups, unsurprisingly lost a solid amount of weight, but no significant differences between the two groups. In terms of lean body mass, the lower protein group remained largely unchanged, suggesting 1.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight is sufficient in preserving muscle. Looking at the 2.4-grams group, there was a noticeable increase in overall lean mass. This result highlights an important aspect in its own rights! Assuming some of the lean mass gained is muscle, the result proposes that we can indeed build muscle and burn fat simultaneously provided that we eat enough protein.
Finally, let’s discuss fat mass. Seeing that the lower protein group lost a zero lean mass, it can only mean that all of the weight lost was from fat. As for the higher protein group, if they indeed gained lean mass yet lost roughly the same amount of weight as the lower protein group. That means that they had to compensate by losing even more fat.
And indeed, that’s exactly what we hoped for. Now, there are some limitations though, first that this is only one study. Fortunately, we do have plenty of research to indicate the importance of protein consumption for muscle preservation, which this study only reinforces. Another limitation is the overweight and untrained subjects used. It is not much of a secret that given a decent resistance training program and adequate protein, untrained overweight individuals can, for a short period, burn fat and gain muscle at the same time.
Of course, having an effective exercise program is equally as important in order to stimulate the muscles for growth. Ultimately, our question seems to be heading to a clearer answer: If you want to burn fat while you lose weight, eating more protein instead of less, might not only help you preserve or build muscle, but help you shed more fat as well. For more fat loss tips check out our 7 Tips on How To Lose Lower Belly Fat blog!