NLM Director's Comments Transcript
Body Fat Unrelated to Food Protein Levels: 02/06/2012

Greetings from the National Library of Medicine and MedlinePlus.gov
Regards to all our listeners!
I'm Rob Logan, Ph.D. senior staff National Library of Medicine for Donald Lindberg, M.D, the Director of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Here is what's new this week in MedlinePlus.

While eating foods with low — versus moderate or high — protein may result in less weight gain, excess calories increase body fat indiscriminately, suggests a pioneering, small study of young adults recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study of 25 young adults, which is one of the first systematic, randomized clinical trials to assess deliberate overeating, suggests gains in overall body fat are unrelated to the protein levels within foods.
In summarizing the study’s primary findings its lead author told a JAMA interviewer (and we quote): ‘diet composition may deceive you if you only look at the scale, since the people eating the low-protein diet gained less weight but not less fat. The scale can’t tell fat from nonfat weight’ (end of quote).
The study also found higher to moderate protein diets comparatively increase lean body mass. The study’s primary findings were seen to suggest important dietary implications for patients and health care providers in an accompanying editorial.
The study, conducted by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA, asked 25 healthy young men and women to stay at a medical center for 13-25 days and deliberately eat a diet with 40 percent more calories than the participants needed to maintain their weight. All participants received the same calories but randomized groups ate a low, moderate, or high protein diet respectively.
High protein foods include: cheese, lean meats, fish, lentils and peanuts. Low protein foods include: bread, potato chips, and ice cream.
The study’s efforts to assess eating habits by asking otherwise healthy participants (ages 18-35) to live and eat at an inpatient center [as well as deliberately overeat via planned meals] may explain why controlled, systematic, randomized, and ethical clinical trials of overeating are difficult to arrange.
Although the research’s low number of participants means its findings are not generalizeable to a larger population of young persons, the study’s controlled conditions and insights seem unique.
The editorial that accompanies the study notes its implications for patients include:

adults should avoid consuming excess calories
adults should reduce or control body fat
adults should select foods with moderate to higher protein to build lean body mass.

The editorial’s authors add the finding (that fat was gained similarly by all three groups regardless of protein levels) is important because excess fat [as well as one’s body mass index] are associated with obesity-related medical conditions. To determine your body mass index, see ‘Calculate your body mass index,’ which is available in the ‘health check tools’ section of MedlinePlus.gov’s weight control health topic page.
The editorial’s authors add the study’s implications for physicians are (and we quote): ‘Clinicians should consider assessing a patient’s overall fatness rather than simply measuring body weight or body mass index and concentrate on the potential complications of excess fat accumulation. The goals for obesity treatment should involve fat reduction rather than simply weight loss, along with a better understanding of nutrition science’ (end of quote).
MedlinePlus.gov’s weight control health topic page describes some healthy weight strategies from a website called —‘Healthy Weight – It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle’ — provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and available within the ‘overviews’ section. The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research summarizes how to maintain energy while reducing calories within the ‘nutrition’ section of MedlinePlus.gov’s weight control health topic page.
Several easy-to-read, helpful articles about starting a weight loss program (that seem well timed to New Years’ resolutions!) are available from NIH MedlinePlus Magazine — within the ‘MedlinePlus Magazine’ section. MedlinePlus.gov’s weight control health topic page also provides sections with information tailored for: men, women, seniors, children, and teenagers.
MedlinePlus.gov’s weight control health topic page contains other, updated research summaries, which are available within the ‘research’ section. Links to the latest pertinent journal research articles are available in the ‘journal articles’ section. Links to related clinical trials that may be occurring in your area are available in the ‘clinical trials’ section. The list of clinical trials provides an array of options including: body mass index, weight loss, and weight reduction programs.
To find MedlinePlus.gov’s weight control health topic page, type ‘weight control’ in the search box on MedlinePlus.gov’s home page, then, click on ‘weight control (National Library of Medicine).’
Other helpful health topic pages within MedlinePlus.gov include: body weight, diets, eating disorders, obesity, and weight loss surgery.
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A disclaimer – the information presented in this program should not replace the medical advice of your physician. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any disease without first consulting with your physician or other health care provider. I want to take the opportunity to wish you a very happy holiday season and a healthy New Year. The National Library of Medicine and the 'Director's Comments' podcast staff, including Dr. Lindberg, appreciate your interest and company – and we hope to find new ways to serve you in 2012.