Fat Loss Friday - Increasing Protein Intake: Same Weight Loss, Less Muscle Loss

For many, weight loss is an important component of lower back pain treatment. Whether the cause of your back pain is muscular or spinal, excess weight puts greater loads on the lumbar spine and musculature, increasing incidence of pain and injury. Along with an active lifestyle, a strong core and a well-rounded diet, maintaining a healthy weight helps your back stay healthy.

When losing weight to help relieve back pain, it's important to make sure the weight you're losing is fat weight and not muscle weight. Muscle loss in the core can lead to poor posture, improper body mechanics and spinal instability.

Exercise is important to keep the weight off

Exercising as part of weight loss will help you both lose weight and maintain muscle, but a new study suggests that adding more protein to your diet in conjunction with exercise will help maintain muscle better than exercise alone.

Researchers analyzed three groups of participants: one which received the daily recommended amount of protein, one that received twice as much and a final group that received three times the daily recommended amount. Participants were fed these amounts for 10 days prior to dieting, then embarked on a 3-week period of regimented dieting and exercising, the only difference being protein intake between the groups.

Researchers found that all participants lost almost the same amount of weight in 3 weeks - 7 pounds - regardless of protein intake. Those who ate more than the recommended daily requirement of protein saw no difference in muscle use of protein between the 10-day pre-diet period and the diet period, while those who received the recommended amount saw a decrease in protein use by muscles. The high-protein dieters lost less muscle and more fat than the control group.

See more on this study at http://www.fasebj.org/content/27/9/3837.

The results of this study suggest that dieters can lose the same amount of weight but have less of that weight be muscle and more of it be fat if they up their intake of protein,

Protein can be delicious these days

although results plateau once you hit double the recommended amount; to ensure you're eating a balanced diet rich in other healthy food groups, then, it's likely best to keep your intake no higher than double your recommended amount.

If you have a health condition and are trying to lose weight, it's best to consult with a dietician or other health professional to ensure that your specific nutritional needs are being met.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Amee_LaTour/1290690