Making this 1 change to your diet could help speed up your metabolism

Turns out changing your metabolism may not be as hard as you thought, according to a new study.

Though mountains and mountains of fad diet information would have us believe that a low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet is necessary for a muscular, healthy build, it turns out that might not entirely be the case.

Protein might not be the cure-all to weight loss after all. Learn more, below.

The impact of cutting down on high protein in your diet

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) — of which there are three — are essential to the human body. They make up one-third of the nine essential amino acids. Isoleucine, leucine, and valine – as well as their other amino acid counterparts – are not created within the human body, and must be consumed in the foods we eat. The BCAA isoleucine is found in eggs, seeds, nuts, fish, poultry, lentils, and many of the foods we are encouraged to eat in the weight loss industry.

All fad diets — including Keto, Mediterranean, Paleo and Intermittent Fasting — encourage protein intake at higher levels than the average modern diet often allows.

While many diets like these encourage choosing foods high in the outlined BCAAs, a mass of literature surrounding the topic actually found that focusing on BCAA intake could actually be detrimental.

Research supports that diets that reflect high levels of the three branched-chain amino acids are actually associated with debilitating diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and metabolic issues.

The new study, led by Dr. Dudley Lamming, Nicole Richarson, and Deyang Yu at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, reflects more of a reason to make a diet change.

What the research found

Dudley and his team fed mice high-sugar, high-fat diets for several weeks to get them accustomed to a gut-wrenching western diet. The obese mice were then subjected to tests surrounding their intake and performance. After changing their diets and restricting isoleucine – effectively removing ⅔ of the normal amount of BCAAs – the test subject mice started to eat more. This would be concerning in any other context, but the mice were eating more and losing weight at the same time.

How could this be? How could a mammal ingest less of a marketable essential nutrient and somehow wind up in better shape? According to researchers, “The weight loss was primarily caused by a faster metabolism, where the body burns more calories as heat while resting.” Isoleucine restriction showed the most consistent and positive results of the three. And the weight loss wasn’t the only noticeable result of this low-isoleucine diet. Mice that ingested less of this critical BCAA had healthier blood sugar metabolism over time and exhibited leaner muscle mass.

The study showed some interesting results in relation to the sex of the mice as well. According to the press release: “Male mice who ate the diet their entire lives lived about 30% longer on average — roughly eight more months. It’s not clear why female mice didn’t seem to benefit, though other research suggests female mice may need a slightly different diet to see benefits from reduced BCAA consumption.”

What should you do instead?

While your run-of-the-mill weight loss routine might instruct you to imbibe foods with high BCAA content, be sure to do your research based on your specific genetic build and metabolic type. For certain builds and lifestyles, too much protein could contribute directly to weight gain.

Even calorie-dense “healthy” snacks can often provide too much protein or BCAA material, and lead to weight gain and metabolic issues. Diets are never supposed to be hailed as a “cure-all,” as they often are in the western world.

Consider adding more plant-based protein options to your diet. Though they tout less protein content than their whey and meat counterparts, they might be what your body craves.

No matter what diet plan or exercise regimen you deem worthy for your own body chemistry, make sure to always get the recommended amount of sleep.

Reaching levels of deep sleep every night is imperative to your cognitive function and will help you regain the energy necessary to process proteins and other nutrients in a healthy and efficient manner. Low-impact cycling and bicycling also show immense health improvements in research participants.