What Does a High Protein Diet Do For the Body?

Although high protein diets were thought to be inherently unsafe for a long time, recent trends have espoused the virtues of a high protein diet and its benefits on the body. A high protein diet carries with it myriad health benefits, helping you to reach your weight loss and physique goals faster than you could without. While you have been exposed to the merits of low-fat and low-carb diets, it is time for protein to enjoy some time in the spotlight.

Defining High Protein

Protein needs are variable depending on your activity level. According to the American Dietetics Association, individuals who perform less physical activity have fewer protein needs than those who train regularly. Thus, your "high protein" diet might be highly subjective, as high protein for you might constitute a low protein diet for someone else. Generally speaking, sedentary individuals should consume 0.4 g of protein per pound of body weight, endurance trainers should consume 0.65 g/lb., and weight training should aim for at least 0.8 g/lb.

Muscle Synthesis

Protein is the primary building block of the body, and the No. 1 effect that a higher protein diet will have is to optimize your potential for muscle synthesis. Providing your body plenty of raw material in the form of additional protein intake will allow your body to build and repair muscle as fast as it is able, keeping you feeling fit, muscular and healthy.

Increased Resting Metabolism

Building additional muscle by virtue of training coupled with a high protein diet will have another beneficial effect on your body--an increase in resting metabolic rate. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. In other words, it requires more calories to retain a pound of muscle than it does to retain any other type of tissue. Increasing your body's lean mass with a high protein diet will therefore boost your natural metabolism, helping you to burn fat even in the absence of a training stimulus.

Increased Satiety

Consuming a high protein diet can also help you lose weight by keeping you feeling full for longer. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that increased intake of protein increases overall feelings of satiety (fullness), which is a good thing when you are trying to stave off cravings in the midst of a prolonged dieting effort.

Increased Thermogenesis

The same study also found that individuals on a higher protein diet also increased their level of thermogenesis. Thermogenesis is simply the number of calories burned during the process of digestion, otherwise known as the thermic effect of food. Protein "costs" the body more calories to digest, thus improving metabolism in two ways--during the digestive process and by adding additional lean mass to the body.