The locust position - why protein can make us thinner

AN EMINENT Australian scientist has looked at locust behaviour to explain
the growing obesity epidemic, leading him to support a high-protein diet as
its solution.

Professor Stephen Simpson believes a primal appetite for protein drives the
feeding behaviour of all animals, from locusts, beetles and spiders to
vertebrates, including humans.

According to their "protein leverage hypothesis", University of Sydney
entomologist Professor Simpson and colleague Dr David Raubenheimer at the
University of Auckland suggest CSIRO's controversial "Total Wellbeing
Diet" - criticised by some nutritionists for its high meat content - is
"just about right".

"The fact that people lose weight on the diet and find it relatively easy to
comply with is due to the power of protein to drive food intake," Professor
Simpson said. "People stop eating when they satisfy their protein
requirements."

The CSIRO diet recommends a doubling of average Australian dietary protein -
to about 30 per cent of total food-energy intake - combined with
slow-burning carbohydrates and reduced fats.

The former professor of entomology at Oxford University, who returned to
Australia last year under the Federal Government's "brain gain" scheme, has
strong experimental and epidemiological evidence for his hypothesis, from
his research at Oxford on voracious African locusts.

"Nutrition science has been virtually devoid of theory," he said. "Despite
all the experimental work, and many hypotheses, a conceptual framework has
been singularly lacking."

Professor Simpson's hypothesis explains why radical and yo-yo dieting
doesn't work. It also explains why members of former hunter-gatherer
cultures such as Australia's Aborigines are susceptible to obesity and type
II diabetes after switching to a low-protein Western diet.

His insight came from an experiment in which he starved locusts of protein,
instead giving them a high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. The insects gorged
themselves in a vain attempt to satiate their hunger for protein. In another
experiment, protein-starved locusts "zeroed in like missiles" on
high-protein foods. Simpson said feeding experiments his team conducted on
beetles and spiders at Oxford University (published in the journal Science
earlier this year) support his idea that the requirement for protein drives
and dominates the feeding behaviour of all animals, from lowly nematode
worms to insects and vertebrates.



e said humans, like locusts and spiders, will consume whatever quantities of
fats and carbohydrates are necessary to obtain sufficient protein to satisfy
their primal appetite. The resulting excessive intake of fats and
carbohydrates in Western societies has led to the obesity epidemic.

His solution is simple: a healthy weight can be maintained by lifting the
proportion of protein in our diet from an average of 15 per cent to between
20-30 per cent. "This will take account of the fact that our modern
lifestyles require less energy expenditure than those of our ancestors. By
eating a higher protein diet we will obtain the amount of protein that our
bodies want without having to eat more fat and carbohydrate than we need to
sustain our lower energy needs," he said.

His hypothesis also explains the success of the popular but controversial
Atkins diet, which prescribes a high-protein, high-fat formula for weight
loss - at the risk of an increased likelihood of cardiovascular disease.

Professor Simpson said the Atkins diet comprised about 40 per cent protein -
well over the minimum required to satiate protein hunger.

His hypothesis also provides an explanation for why weight gain and obesity
are driven in a vicious cycle. "Putting on body fat . causes raised levels
of free fatty acids in the blood, which, in turn, cause the liver to start
burning protein," he said.

"This increases the appetite for protein and so causes further
over-consumption of fat and carbohydrate. Breaking the vicious cycle
requires shifting to a high-protein diet."



http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...oneclick=true#

Joe the Aroma wrote:
AN EMINENT Australian scientist has looked at locust behaviour to explain
the growing obesity epidemic, leading him to support a high-protein diet as
its solution.

Professor Stephen Simpson believes a primal appetite for protein drives the
feeding behaviour of all animals, from locusts, beetles and spiders to
vertebrates, including humans.

According to their "protein leverage hypothesis", University of Sydney
entomologist Professor Simpson and colleague Dr David Raubenheimer at the
University of Auckland suggest CSIRO's controversial "Total Wellbeing
Diet" - criticised by some nutritionists for its high meat content - is
"just about right".

"The fact that people lose weight on the diet and find it relatively easy to
comply with is due to the power of protein to drive food intake," Professor
Simpson said. "People stop eating when they satisfy their protein
requirements."

The CSIRO diet recommends a doubling of average Australian dietary protein -
to about 30 per cent of total food-energy intake - combined with
slow-burning carbohydrates and reduced fats.


http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...oneclick=true#



This could be why I am having so much trouble regaining weight after my
weight loss last year. Because I am exercising heavily and trying to
regain muscle mass I am eating a lot of protein, more than double the
recommended levels.

Fitday charts my values over the past four months as 28% fat - 39%
protein, 12% alcohol and 16% carbs. (Yes I know that they don't total
100% - that is one of FitDay's endearing little quirks.) This for an
average daily calorie intake of 2372 calories.

I should try for more calories but I am forcing food down to get that
high. If I switched back to pizza and pasta I am sure I could eat more,
but that would simply put fat on, not lean tissue. As it is I supplement
with nuts for their high calorie value, most of my meals are under 400
calories; although (take note Andrew) with the large quantities of fresh
vegetables, the plates are quite loaded.

With regard to Dr Dubious'(Andrew's) crazy insistence on a two pound
daily maximum, I am averaging 5.1 lbs per day excluding liquids. Mostly
in the form of things like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus,
mushrooms, beans, snow peas, pumpkin, etc., with chicken, fish or lean
meat. As this is only allowing me to gain about 250 grams (half a pound)
per week if I was to follow Andrew's advice and more than halve my food
levels I would severely damage my health. I am skinny enough already,
certainly don't need to starve myself. On two pounds per day I would be
burning muscle, not gaining it.

BTW, I wouldn't suggest that anyone trying to lose weight switch to a
high protein diet unless they also exercise. I do a lot of exercise,
seven days a week and I also drink at least six litres (1.6 US gallons)
of liquid per day. Before I increased my fluid intake by a couple of
litres per day I was experiencing a lot of quite severe kidney pain
attributed to the high protein intake. The exercise and high fluid
intake have pretty much controlled that.


Regards

David

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"J. David Anderson" jdavidanderson_@hotmail wrote in message
...
Joe the Aroma wrote:
AN EMINENT Australian scientist has looked at locust behaviour to explain
the growing obesity epidemic, leading him to support a high-protein diet
as its solution.

Professor Stephen Simpson believes a primal appetite for protein drives
the feeding behaviour of all animals, from locusts, beetles and spiders
to vertebrates, including humans.

According to their "protein leverage hypothesis", University of Sydney
entomologist Professor Simpson and colleague Dr David Raubenheimer at the
University of Auckland suggest CSIRO's controversial "Total Wellbeing
Diet" - criticised by some nutritionists for its high meat content - is
"just about right".

"The fact that people lose weight on the diet and find it relatively easy
to comply with is due to the power of protein to drive food intake,"
Professor Simpson said. "People stop eating when they satisfy their
protein requirements."

The CSIRO diet recommends a doubling of average Australian dietary
protein - to about 30 per cent of total food-energy intake - combined
with slow-burning carbohydrates and reduced fats.


http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...oneclick=true#



This could be why I am having so much trouble regaining weight after my
weight loss last year. Because I am exercising heavily and trying to
regain muscle mass I am eating a lot of protein, more than double the
recommended levels.

Muscle growth requires carbs. This is why bodybuilders do "carb cycling".
They eat carbs to build muscle then switch over to some sort of hypocaloric
diet.

Fitday charts my values over the past four months as 28% fat - 39%
protein, 12% alcohol and 16% carbs. (Yes I know that they don't total
100% - that is one of FitDay's endearing little quirks.) This for an
average daily calorie intake of 2372 calories.

I should try for more calories but I am forcing food down to get that
high. If I switched back to pizza and pasta I am sure I could eat more,
but that would simply put fat on, not lean tissue. As it is I supplement
with nuts for their high calorie value, most of my meals are under 400
calories; although (take note Andrew) with the large quantities of fresh
vegetables, the plates are quite loaded.

Try moderately adding carbs such as fruits. The more muscle you grow, the
less you'll have to worry about carbs.

BTW, I wouldn't suggest that anyone trying to lose weight switch to a high
protein diet unless they also exercise. I do a lot of exercise, seven days
a week and I also drink at least six litres (1.6 US gallons) of liquid per
day. Before I increased my fluid intake by a couple of litres per day I
was experiencing a lot of quite severe kidney pain attributed to the high
protein intake. The exercise and high fluid intake have pretty much
controlled that.

Exercise is good. I'd recommend a balance of aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Most people concentrate on aerobic, which is a mistake IMO. Anaerobic
exercise boosts your metabolism, aerobic does not.

Joe the Aroma wrote:


This could be why I am having so much trouble regaining weight after my
weight loss last year. Because I am exercising heavily and trying to
regain muscle mass I am eating a lot of protein, more than double the
recommended levels.


Muscle growth requires carbs. This is why bodybuilders do "carb cycling".
They eat carbs to build muscle then switch over to some sort of hypocaloric
diet.


No, muscle growth doesn't require carbs, but carbs certainly speed up
the process; and it is much easier to exercise when you eat carbs. I do
eat carbs, at least 140-150 grams per day, mostly in the form of fruit
and vegetables. I avoid excess carbs, including too much fruit. I am not
"carbophobic" just careful about my choice of carbs.

Fitday charts my values over the past four months as 28% fat - 39%
protein, 12% alcohol and 16% carbs. (Yes I know that they don't total
100% - that is one of FitDay's endearing little quirks.) This for an
average daily calorie intake of 2372 calories.

I should try for more calories but I am forcing food down to get that
high. If I switched back to pizza and pasta I am sure I could eat more,
but that would simply put fat on, not lean tissue. As it is I supplement
with nuts for their high calorie value, most of my meals are under 400
calories; although (take note Andrew) with the large quantities of fresh
vegetables, the plates are quite loaded.


Try moderately adding carbs such as fruits. The more muscle you grow, the
less you'll have to worry about carbs.

As my entire reason for losing weight and replacing it with lean mass
was to control BGL, I think that I am pretty cognisant of that fact. I
wasn't overweight when I started this process, just not as lean as I
wanted to be. g


BTW, I wouldn't suggest that anyone trying to lose weight switch to a high
protein diet unless they also exercise. I do a lot of exercise, seven days
a week and I also drink at least six litres (1.6 US gallons) of liquid per
day. Before I increased my fluid intake by a couple of litres per day I
was experiencing a lot of quite severe kidney pain attributed to the high
protein intake. The exercise and high fluid intake have pretty much
controlled that.


Exercise is good. I'd recommend a balance of aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
Most people concentrate on aerobic, which is a mistake IMO. Anaerobic
exercise boosts your metabolism, aerobic does not.

Both will build your metabolism, it depends where you are starting from.
I do split between aerobic and anaerobic. I have my own gym and spend a
couple of hours exercising *every* day. I also kayak, ride a mountain
bike, swim, and windsurf. I have had an active lifestyle all my life.

Regards

David
--

To email me, please include the letters DNF anywhere in the subject line.

All other mail is automatically deleted.

"J. David Anderson" jdavidanderson_@hotmail wrote in message
...
Fitday charts my values over the past four months as 28% fat - 39%
protein, 12% alcohol and 16% carbs. (Yes I know that they don't total
100% - that is one of FitDay's endearing little quirks.) This for an
average daily calorie intake of 2372 calories.


See if the remaining 5% doesn't add up to ~2-2½ calories per gram of your
fiber intake.

--
No Husband Has Ever Been Shot While Doing The Dishes