The study was carried out because, as researchers claim, "the data so far available on the correlation between body weight and protein intake are not consistent, and very little is known of the long-term relationship between protein intake and obesity".Research published focuses therefore on this: protein intake and obesity, but the distinction between animal and vegetable protein and the effect of currencies are compared.
The researchers concluded that the plant and animal proteins exert opposite effects on developing long-term obesity: high consumption of animal proteins contribute to obesity and, conversely, high consumption of vegetable proteins are protective against the development of obesity.
The data used for this purpose were those of "Chicago Western Electric Study, which investigated a group of 1730 people (men aged between 40 and 55 years) between1958 and 1966. These people are therefore been followed for 7 years: were annually register their power, their height and weight and other information.
Based on this information, the equations were used to estimate the relationship between the amount of total protein consumed and likely to be overweight or obese at the next annual examination. The same calculation was made considering separately the animal protein and vegetable ones, to see if there was a greater correlation between animal protein-overweight, or vegetable proteins-overweight.
The calculations were, as always happens in these cases, adapted to take account of potential "confounding factors", such as age, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption,calories, carbohydrates and saturated fats, and is also taken into account the possible presence of diabetes or other chronic diseases.
The result showed clearly, in numerical terms, that there is a statistically significant correlation between consumption of animal protein and obesity: who consumed higher amounts of animal protein had a chance of becoming obese increased by 4.6times compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts.
The other important findings is that, on the contrary, those who consumed greater amounts of plant proteins had a lower risk of being obese compared to those who consumed the lowest amounts, namely the risk is halved.
Declares Dr. Luciana Baroni, President of the Scientific Society of vegetarian nutrition:"These results confirm the futility of hyperproteic diet diets based on the consumption of meat and fish, whose health hazard has been object of study".
In addition, research on comprehensive object data emerged from the study of population Epic-Oxford, which in 2003 had already linked the body mass index (BMI, which measures the degree of overweight) with high protein intakes and reduced fiber intakes. The study had shown that the body mass index in omnivores was significantly higher than that of vegan (whose diet is composed of 100% vegetable ingredients)and that this difference was very small part (5%) were due to differences in lifestyle and physical activity, while for the vast majority (about 50 percent) was due to the different amount of protein and fiber: greater amounts of protein and fiber less lead to a BMI greater, therefore at greater risk of being overweight-obesity.
It also confirmed the favorable results obtained on body weight in people who adopt a vegan diet, well documented in the scientific literature ND (Barnard et al, Am J Med.2005; 118: 991-7; Turner-McGrievy GM et al, 2007 Sep; Obesity 15 (9): 2276-81); with such power, it is not necessary to limit the amount of food taken in order to obtain a reduction in weight.
Dr. Baroni concludes: "it is important to stress that the overweight-obesity is not a mere aesthetic factor. Who is overweight, risks from 10 to 20 years of life, a life that will be dotted with serious diseases such as vascular disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension and incapacitating overload diseases of the locomotive apparatus. Obesity has been described as the second leading cause of preventable death, after smoking. "