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Macronutrient (im)balance drives energy intake in an obesogenic food environment: An ecological analysis
In this study by Grech et al. (2022), the authors utilized data from the Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey to validate the predictive outcomes of the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH). PLH implies that the excessive intake of energy and resultant obesity occurs in the setting of stringent protein intake regulation with concomitant current carbohydrate and fat content of consumed diets. Hence, PLH predicts a negative relationship between total energy intake and energy produced from protein under stringent regulation, and that humans modulate their dietary consumption to maintain said regulation. Using the aforementioned dietary data, the authors discovered that PLH predictions were indeed valid, where individuals were found to be more likely to consume highly processed discretionary foods to dilute their protein intake which led to a substantial increase in energy intake. In addition, energy intake continued to decline with increasing levels of consumed proteins, where the average individual protein intake accounted for 18.4% of total consumption. The authors conclude that these findings may help explain the environmental impacts and mechanisms underlying the process of obesity, whereby a reduction in protein intake was accompanied by an increased intake of highly processed, energy-dense foods, and that this increase was due to biological drivers for protein consumption. This study highlights the role played by proteins in the domain of obesity, and its implications on health from a global level. [NPID: Obesity, protein, diet, energy intake, protein leverage hypothesis, PLH, Australia]
Year: 2022
