Latest news
July 2010
PRESS RELEASE
A vegetarian high-protein diet with soya efficient in the battle against obesity.
At the eleventh International Conference on Obesity in Stockholm, Alexandra M Johnstone of the University of Aberdeen will present the first results of her research on the impact of high-protein slimming diets in the battle against obesity. She concluded that a vegetarian high-protein diet with soya is an efficient choice and that the satiation effect is on a par with a diet based on animal proteins.
Excess body weight is one of the main risk factors for developing a range of chronic diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, strokes and cancer. Preventing obesity is therefore one of the most important challenges for health care in the 21st century. The International Conference on Obesity, staged for the eleventh time from 10-15 July in Stockholm, offers a unique, international platform for new research findings on the full spectrum of ways to treat obesity.
Alexandra M Johnstone, associated with the UniversityAberdeen in the UK, will present her latest research results at this conference. Johnstone has studied whether a vegetarian high-protein diet is as efficient as an animal high-protein diet in the battle against obesity and whether it could be beneficial in other ways too. An animal high-protein diet can have negative effects on the bowels. Research shows that this kind of diet increases the amount of some harmful substances in the stools.
A high-protein diet that is also low in carbohydrates is a popular and efficient way to lose weight in a relatively short time. Therefore Johnstone first of all researched the difference between a vegetarian high-protein diet with soya and an animal high-protein diet in satiety and the extent of weight loss. 20 obese men were observed over a period of four weeks. During the first two weeks they had a animal high-protein diet, followed by a vegetarian high-protein diet for the next two weeks. Johnstone concluded that the weight loss and satiety was equally efficient for both diets.
"These initial findings suggest that using soya protein in a high-protein slimming diet is just as efficient in suppressing the feeling of being hungry and for losing weight as an animal diet," says Johnstone.
In September Johnstone will also present her findings concerning the influence of these diets that are based on vegetable protein on maintaining healthy bowels. The first results concerning this are looking positive.
Source: Alexandra M Johnstone, ICO 2010
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