A recent year-long study of nearly 10,000 Australians confirms that highly processed foods are the leading contributor of obesity in the Western world.
As we all know, most processed foods are hyper-palatable — with crave-worthy combinations of sugar, salt, and fat — causing people to overeat.
But the researchers found that it’s something processed food doesn’t have that makes it so problematic: protein.
This study provides evidence for the Protein Leverage Hypothesis, which states that people overeat fats and carbs due to the body’s powerful appetite for protein, which the body prioritizes over everything else.
Because our modern diet consists of so many highly processed and refined foods — which are typically low in protein — people consume more energy-dense foods until their protein needs are satisfied.
“It’s increasingly clear that our bodies eat to satisfy a protein target,” according to Professor David Raubenheimer, Professor of Nutritional Ecology at the University of Sydney. “But the problem is that the food in Western diets has increasingly less protein. So, you have to consume more of it to reach your protein target, which effectively elevates your daily energy intake.”
