The "proteinification" of ultra-processed foods

The worlds of nutrition and fashion have something in common—both see trends that come and go, such as the Atkins Diet and Bell-bottom jeans.

The latest trend to hit the nutrition world is the “proteinification” of ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

The media's focus on protein has exploded, especially since Covid. This is when home fitness surged, muscle loss from inactivity became widely discussed, and consumers’ perspective of protein shifted from a bodybuilder nutrient to a longevity nutrient.

Protein is necessary for nearly every physiological system, including immune, brain, and cellular functions. It forms the framework of connective tissues, skin, blood vessels, and bones.

From a dietary perspective, protein slows digestion, which can lead to consuming fewer calories. Higher-protein diets produce better outcomes for weight loss maintenance compared to low-fat or low-protein diets.

Now, food companies that manufacture UPFs are cashing in on protein’s rise in popularity by increasingly adding it to everything from toaster pastries to snack chips. In the grocery store, you'll see many UPFs offering 16 to 20 grams per serving.

But does all this added protein slow digestion enough to help people fill up on fewer ultra-processed calories?

A team of German and French researchers wanted to find out, and no expense was spared in their data collection.

In the study, 21 healthy young adults lived in a metabolic chamber for several days. The chambers were sealed, preventing the indoor air from mixing with the outside. Fresh air was pumped in, while tubes removed and analyzed expired air, allowing researchers to calculate the subjects’ metabolic rate.

Participants stayed in the chambers on two occasions for 54-hour stretches. They were given specially designed meals with 80 percent of their calories from UPFs. However, the protein content of these highly processed meals differed.

During the higher-protein segment of the study, 30% of their calories came from protein.

During the lower-protein segment, 13% of their calories came from protein.

In both segments, participants were allowed to eat as much as they wanted.

When researchers analyzed the data, they determined that the higher protein diet led to:

eating 196 fewer daily calories,

longer meal durations,

slower eating rates,

more bites per meal,

more chews per bite,

lower levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, and

burning 128 more daily calories, likely from diet-induced thermogenesis (the increase in calorie expenditure due to digestion).

However, the participants ate more calories than they burned in both conditions. When they consumed a higher-protein diet, they just overate by less (18 percent vs. 32 percent).

The primary takeaway from the study is this: even high-protein UPFs are difficult to consume in moderation.

Companies that manufacture UPFs invest enormous amounts of money and resources into making their products delightful to the brain and difficult to resist. It’s guaranteed that rigorous testing ensured that the added protein would in no way lead to consumers eating less and sales dropping.