Protein rich foods can aid weight loss

Losing 6cms from waist in eight weeks

The study, by scientists at the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health at Aberdeen University, found that switching to protein-rich diet can help reduce weigh and that the volunteers felt less hungry despite cutting their calorie intake by 40 per cent.

In the trial, the group of men and women followed a menu planner that combined healthy, high-protein breakfast options with items from the range. Over a four-week period, 45 volunteers, who were restricted to 1,000 calories a day, lost on average 4.7kg.

But an extended study carried out over eight weeks found that 12 of the overweight participants lost on average 6.5kg on the diet.

Their waistlines shrank on average by 6cm to 94cm, their average body fat fell from 36.8 per cent to 34 per cent, and cholesterol levels dropped by as much as an eighth.

Nutritionists say that a diet containing a high proportion of healthy protein-rich foods can aid weight loss because they create a feeling of fullness faster than those containing carbohydrates or fat.