Tag: research

What big research studies can’t tell you

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

This morning, I got the loveliest note from Lisa, who wrote:  “I’m enjoying a new-found freedom since beginning to listen to your podcasts! Learning to listen to my body instead of so much nutrition news-of-the-day has changed my life. Thank you!!”

And it’s true: It IS really important to pay attention to what is and isn’t working for you, rather than blindly following some dietary dogma. At the same time, I think we can learn a lot from (good) research. Continue reading “What big research studies can’t tell you” >

Vitamin C and Death: More Face-Palm Science News

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

I sometimes play a game on the Nutrition Diva Facebook page called “Spot the fallacy.” I post a link to a nutrition-related  story and followers chime in, pointing out all the ways in which the science had been distorted or misreported.  It’s always lots of fun.

Here are a couple of recent rounds of Spot the Fallacy:

Usually, the problem is not with the research but with the way it’s being reported. But here’s a new category of face-palm science. Researchers take an interesting finding and then “drill down” to come up with a far less meaningful conclusion. Wanna play? Continue reading “Vitamin C and Death: More Face-Palm Science News” >

High Protein Diets Pile On More Pounds? Yes, but…

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

The Managing Editor of ABC News Medical Unit emailed me yesterday, asking for help understanding a new study on high protein diets.  In the study, the researchers put people on high-calorie diets ranging from 5 to 25% protein. They expected to find that the people on the high-protein diets would gain less fat.  In fact, all three groups gained the same amount of fat. But the researchers were also surprised to find that those on the low-protein diet gained less weight.

“I am having trouble figuring out if low protein is a good thing thing or a bad thing according to this study,” he wrote. “Isn’t it good that it lead to [less weight gain] than high protein? I am not sure what message there is for the public.”

Here’s my answer:

First, remember this study involved purposely over-feeding people in order to make them gain weight, so it’s not directly relevant to people who are restricting calories in order to lose or maintain their weight.  (And, as an aside, people who eat more protein often end up eating fewer calories because protein tends to be more satiating.)

See also: How to Eat Less Without Feeling Hungry

Secondly, the subjects all gained similar amounts of body fat, which is exactly what you would expect when people eat more calories than they burn..the excess is stored as fat.

The key finding in my mind is that the people on the higher protein diet gained lean muscle tissue (in addition to fat) and the people on the lower protein diet lost lean muscle tissue.  That explains why the high protein group gained more weight. But it does not mean that they ended up worse off.  In fact, you could argue that the increase in muscle tissue (and the corresponding increase in metabolism) in the high protein group partially offsets the negative impact of the fat gain.

As I commented to Roger, I think there are two take-home messages for the public, neither of which is particularly new:

1.  Too many calories will lead to an increase in stored fat, no matter what the source of those calories.
2. Higher-protein diets appear to promote (or at least preserve) lean muscle tissue and that’s generally a good thing.

And one important take-home message for the scientific community.

3. BMI (weight) doesn’t tell the whole story. When evaluating the effects of different diets on health, you need to take body composition (percentages of body fat and lean muscle) into consideration as well.  In this study, if you only looked at the change in BMI, you’d conclude that the high-protein diet did more damage than the low-protein diet. But when you look at the changes in lean body tissue and fat, it appears to be just the opposite. If I weigh more but have less fat and more muscle, I’m probably better off than someone who weighs less but has more fat.

Related content: How Much Protein Should You Eat?

Industry Sponsored Research at its Most Useless

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

What a waste of everyone’s time.

A company that manufactures a soy-based meal replacement drink funds a study comparing a soy-based meal replacement (i.e., their product) with a “standard breakfast” which had the same number of calories but was lower in protein, higher in refined carbohydrates. They found–gasp!–that the high protein breakfast controlled hunger better and regulated fat-burning metabolism.  Conclusion: Meal replacement regimes high in soy protein are beneficial for weight loss and metabolic syndrome.

What about this study design suggests that soy had anything to do with this?  The results were completely predictable based solely on the glycemic load and protein content.  Here, in fact, is a different study showing that you get more or less the same results using casein (milk protein).

I’ve argued in the past that industry-funded research can play a valuable part in the expensive world of nutrition research.  This study, however, was a waste of time, money, and resources. It generates no useful, new information and serves only to promote a product. Shame on the researchers who dignified the study with their time and to the journal that published it.

Is Eating More Often Really the Key to Staying Thin?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN
Can eating more often help you stay thin?
Can eating more often help you stay thin?

A study in this month’s  Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that people of normal weight eat more frequently (5 times per day on average) than overweight people (who average 4.2 times per day), suggesting that eating more frequently may be a key to maintaining a healthy weight.  At least, that’s what all the headlines will say–and this will fuel the popular myth that eating more frequently “revs up your metabolism.”

See also: Metabolism Myths

But let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?   Continue reading “Is Eating More Often Really the Key to Staying Thin?” >

Forget Salt. Focus on Potassium.

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

That pain in your neck? Another case of nutrition whiplash, I’m afraid. Earlier this year, the USDA’s new Dietary Guidelines for Americans made the need to reduce sodium intake one of its primary messages.

Then, just last week, a new Cochrane Review concluded that  “cutting down on the amount of salt has no clear benefits in terms of likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease.” Continue reading “Forget Salt. Focus on Potassium.” >

Why Make Such a Fuss About a Good Habit?

by Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN

Although Mr. Harper and the editors of Shape Magazine have so far declined to comment on my challenge, the response from readers has been really fascinating.  If you’ve been following the discussion in the comment thread for yesterday’s post or on my Facebook page, then I apologize for repeating some of that here. But something that’s come up in the discussion strikes me as so significant that I really want to underline it. Continue reading “Why Make Such a Fuss About a Good Habit?” >