The protein leverage hypothesis states that human beings will prioritize the consumption of
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
in food over other dietary components, and will eat until protein needs have been met, regardless of
energy content
In physics, energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume. It is sometimes confused with energy per unit mass which is properly called specific energy or .
Often only the ''useful'' or extrac ...
,
thus leading to over-consumption of foodstuffs when their protein content is low.
[
This hypothesis has been put forward as a potential explanation of the ]obesity epidemic
Obesity has been observed throughout human history. Many early depictions of the human form in art and sculpture appear obese. However, it was not until the 20th century that obesity became common — so much so that, in 1997, the World Heal ...
. Empirical tests have provided some evidence to confirm the hypothesis with one study suggesting that this could be a link between ultra-processed foods and the prevalence of obesity in the developed world.
In 1995 Australian researcher Susanna Holt developed the concept of satiety value Satiety value is the degree at which food gives a human the sense of food gratification, the exact contrast feeling of hunger. The concept of the Satiety Value and Satiety Index was developed by Australian researcher and doctor, Susanna Holt. Highes ...
, a measure of how much a given food is likely to satisfy the hunger of someone. High protein foods have been found to have high satiety values, though these are outmatched by potatoes and oats (which have a high glycemic index
The glycemic (glycaemic) index (GI; ) is a number from 0 to 100 assigned to a food, with pure glucose arbitrarily given the value of 100, which represents the relative rise in the blood glucose level two hours after consuming that food. The GI of ...
). Fruits rank similarly to high protein foods (likely due to their high level of dietary fibre).
The 2020 popular science book "Eat Like the Animals: What Nature Teaches Us about the Science of Healthy Eating"University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
researchers who developed the protein leverage hypothesis.
References
Obesity
Hypotheses
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