Protein promise
A report from September's edition of The FASEB Journal suggested that doubling the recommended daily allowance of protein intake could help to protect against muscle loss during dieting and exercise related weight loss.
The news challenges a long-held adage that significant muscle loss is unavoidable when losing weight through exercise and diet - finding that people who consume twice the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein while adhering to a diet and exercise plan prevents the loss of muscle mass and promotes fat loss.
"We believe that the RDA for protein should be based on a level to optimize health, as well as prevent deficiencies, and our data demonstrate a potential inadequacy of the current RDA for sparing muscle mass during weight loss, which may affect a significant portion of the population," commented the researchers behind the study.