DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Consuming protein from lean sources of pork may help people retain more lean body mass, which includes muscle, while losing weight, says a U.S. study.
Study leader Dr. Wayne Campbell of Purdue University evaluated the weight loss of 46 overweight or obese women who followed one of two reduced-calorie diets. One group ate a diet that included about 18 percent of their calories from protein. The other group ate a higher-protein diet -- about 30 percent of total calories from protein, including 6 ounces of lean pork on average per day.
"After 12 weeks, our study found that the group of women who followed a reduced-calorie eating plan while consuming a higher level of protein was more effective in maintaining lean body mass during weight loss compared to those who consumed the same amount of calories with less protein," said Wayne Campbell.
The higher protein group retained nearly double the amount of lean body mass -- losing just 3.3 pounds of lean mass -- compared to the women on the normal protein diet, who lost 6.2 pounds of lean mass. Because muscle burns more calories, the findings are important in long-term weight control, according to Campbell.
The study was published in the journal Obesity.
