Adhering to a higher protein diet may also attenuate weight
regain and contribute to long-term weight maintenance (Larsen
and others 2010; Clifton and others 2014). For example, after
losing nearly 11 kg during an 8-wk weight loss trial, overweight
and obese individuals assigned to a higher protein diet (25% total
energy intake) regained less bodyweight over the next 12 mowhen
compared to individuals consuming a lower protein diet (13% total
energy intake) (Larsen and others 2010; Aller and others 2014).
A recent meta-analysis of 32 studies with about 3500 volunteers
found a persistent effect of increased dietary protein on long-term
weight maintenance, although the effect was small (Clifton and
others 2014).
A potential mechanism by which dietary protein contributes
to sustained weight maintenance after weight loss could be due
to the effect of dietary protein on diet-induced thermogenesis
(Whitehead and others 1996; Westerterp-Plantenga and others
1999). In controlled feeding studies, higher protein diets increased
diet-induced thermogenesis when compared to lower protein diets,
thus contributing to total daily energy expenditure (; Whitehead
and others 1996; Westerterp-Plantenga and others 1999;
Mikkelsen and others 2000; Johnston and others 2002; Raben
and others 2003). The protective effects of dietary protein on
body weight control may also be due to a conservation of resting
energy expenditure secondary to the preservation of lean body
mass during weight loss (Leidy and others 2007; Pasiakos and others
2008; Wycherley and others 2012; Soenen and others 2013).
For example, after overweight and obese individuals lost 10% to
15% of their initial body weight, resting energy expenditure was
conserved to a greater extent in those who consumed a higher
protein diet (30% total energy intake) compared to those who
consumed a lower protein diet (20% total energy intake; Ebbeling
and others 2012). However, not all studies support the contention