Excess visceral fat surrounding the organs in your torso, commonly referred to as belly fat, is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. However, consuming a reduced-calorie diet with a moderately high proportion of protein may help you lose more belly fat than a low-protein diet of equal calorie content. Protein may reduce belly fat by maintaining your fat-free mass and increasing your energy expenditure, which helps burn more fat. Additionally, protein helps to regulate your insulin levels and hunger hormones, reducing your body's tendency to accumulate abdominal fat.
Consequences of Excess Abdominal Fat
Your body has two types of stored adipose tissue. Subcutaneous fat accumulates under your skin on your legs, arms, and hips. Visceral fat lies deep in your abdominal area, surrounding your organs, and it secretes hormones and pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines. These substances negatively alter blood pressure, lipid levels, and contribute to insulin resistance. Even if your weight is within normal range, excess belly fat may be associated with increased risk of premature death.
Maintenance of Fat-Free Mass
Dietary protein provides your body with the building blocks for proper cell function and maintenance of your muscle mass. However, reduced calorie intake may increase protein breakdown from your muscles. Since muscle has a high metabolic rate, less muscle mass will result in a slower metabolism that is less capable of burning fat. Therefore, consuming adequate protein is important if you are trying to lose abdominal fat. In a 1994 study published in "Metabolism," obese individuals who consumed a low-calorie, high-protein diet lost less protein in their urine than those who consumed a low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diet.
Improved Insulin Response
In a normal-weight healthy individual, insulin secretion in response to a meal stimulates your cells to take up glucose, store fat, and reduce fat breakdown. Excess abdominal fat does not respond well to insulin, meaning that the fat undergoes a high rate of breakdown. This leads to high cholesterol and blood lipid levels, which further worsen your body's insulin response. However, eating a diet high in protein may help you regulate your insulin secretion and reduce abdominal fat. A 2009 study published in "Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases" showed that obese individuals who consumed a reduced-calorie, high-protein diet --- 30 to 40 percent of total calories --reduced their total cholesterol and abdominal fat more than those who consumed a reduced-calorie diet with 15 to 20 percent protein.
Decreased Hunger
Eating a high-protein diet may also decrease hunger, increase energy expenditure and increase fat utilization, which may help you lose abdominal fat. In a 2006 study published in "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," individuals burned more calories throughout the day and reported less hunger when they consumed a 30 percent protein diet than when they consumed a 10 percent protein diet. Although the calorie content of both diets was equal, the individuals burned fewer calories than they ate on the low-protein diet. Protein requires more energy to break down and may regulate certain appetite hormones more effectively than carbohydrates or fats. This may help you burn more fat, including abdominal fat, throughout the day.
References
- "Metabolism"; Hypocaloric high-protein diet improves glucose oxidation and spares lean body mass: Comparison to hypocaloric high-carbohydrate diet, P.M. Piatti et al, December 1994
- "Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases"; High protein diets decrease total and abdominal fat and improve CVD risk profile in overweight and obese men and women with elevated triacylglycerol, P.M. Clifton et al, October 2007
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Ghrelin and glucagon-like peptide 1 concentrations, 24-h satiety, and energy and substrate metabolism during a high-protein diet and measured in a respiration chamber, M.P.G.M. Lejeune et al, January 2006
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