Protein found key in resolving obesity and depression

We've long known that protein is essential to a healthy diet, but this deserves a new exclamation point. A high protein diet is essential to a slimmer, happier and healthier society.

Increase protein, lose pounds

Referred to as the world's largest diet study, a team of Danish researchers utilized eight European research centers to monitor the diets of 772 random European families, comprising 938 adults and 827 children. Their findings demonstrate the role of protein in combating the obesity epidemic.

"If you want to lose weight, your best bet is to maintain a diet high in protein-rich foods -- such as lean meat, low-fat dairy products and beans -- and low in refined starches, such as white bread and white rice," read a statement announcing the research. "With this diet, you can eat until you are full without counting calories and without gaining weight."

Overweight adults were first put through a low calorie diet for eight weeks, losing an average of 24.25 pounds. They were then assigned to one of five different diets for six months to determine which was most effective at preventing weight increase. Those on the high protein diet with a low glycemic index (a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels) were the only ones that maintained their weight after the initial weight loss. Those on the low protein, high glycemic index diet regained the most.

The research is particularly important in solving child obesity. The 827 children, of which 45% were overweight, followed the same diet as their parents during the six month period. In the group of kids on the high protein, low glycemic index diet, the obese rate dropped by 15 percent.

In goes the protein, out goes the blues

The drug industry capitalizes on depression, raking in billions a year from antidepressants - despite horrendous side-effects.

After researching antidepressants for a decade, Irving Kirsch, professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut, exposed the fallacy of their efficacy. Kirsch and his team examined 47 depression treatment studies sponsored by drug companies. While many of these studies had never been published, all had been submitted to the FDA, so Kirsch used the Freedom of Information Act to access the data. He discovered that in the majority of the trials, antidepressants failed to outperform sugar pill placebos. "All antidepressants," Kirsch reported in 2010, "including the well-known SSRIs [selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors], had no clinically significant benefit over a placebo."

Protein, on the other hand, is an effective component in overcoming depression. Individuals given proper allotments of protein, vitamins and minerals rebound more easily, and without side effects.

Canadian neuroscientists recently announced the development of a protein peptide to address depression as an alternative to dangerous medications. Other studies show that a supplement called glutamine found in whey protein powder helps treat the blues. Whey protein is also full of tryptophan, an amino acid which has been shown to improve mood and lower stress levels.