High-Protein Diet

A brain signal system that controls appetite responds to specific amino acids found in meat. This discovery could lead to new weight-loss techniques.
A new appetite-controlling pathway that responds to molecules found in meat has been discovered in the brain. This brain signal system is triggered by specific amino acids and may lead to new ways of helping obese people lose weight, researchers say.

Certain amino acid molecules – the building blocks of proteins – exert powerful control over appetite, according to a new study in rats. Animals given injections of the amino acid leucine, which is found in high-protein meats and grains, gained only about one-third of the weight put on by their control counterparts.

Leucine
Animals injected with the amino acid leucine ate 20 percent less food the following day, and only gained a third of the weight of their peers after a 24-hour fast. Leucine, which is found in protein-rich foods, acts on the enzyme mTOR. mTOR is highly active in a brain structure called the hypothalamus, which regulates appetite.

Fooling the Brain
The leucine may fool the brain into believing there is an ample protein supply throughout the body, resulting in a suppression of hunger.

The Science Behind Losing Weight On a High-Protein Diet - A special amino acid may directly affect the part of your brain that controls appetite and help you to lose weight.