Research investigates role of protein in obesity among Latin American women
Yet in a study published recently in the American Journal of Human Biology , researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, in collaboration with colleagues at CU Boulder and the University of Costa Rica, tested an explanation for greater obesity among these women: limited access to dietary protein leads them to consume a lower proportion of protein in the diet, driving higher calorie intake and obesity. The study, "Using the protein leverage hypothesis to understand socioeconomic variation in obesity," examined elements of the protein leverage hypothesis in a sample of Costa Rican women. "Studies conducted in a laboratory setting show that when people eat a diet with a lower proportion of protein, they tend to consume more calories," said lead author Traci Bekelman, a post-doctoral fellow in pediatrics at the CU School of Medicine. "We tested out this relationship between protein and calories in a real world setting in order to provide insight into risi...