Walk into any grocery store and you\u2019ll likely find a flood of protein-enriched products, from waffles and cereals to chips and desserts.\u00a0While most people get enough of this essential macronutrient through their regular diets, many are now purposefully loading up to lose weight, boost energy, or build muscle.<\/p>\n
If you’re thinking about upping your protein intake, here’s what could happen to your body.\n<\/p>\n
The moment you start eating, your body releases hormones\u2014namely ghrelin and GLP-1\u2014that regulate appetite and glucose metabolism. Research shows that high-protein diets increase the production of these hormones, which in turn appear to reduce hunger and promote longer-lasting satiety.<\/p>\n
Dana Ellis Hunnes, RD, PhD, MPH<\/a>, a senior clinical dietitian at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, suspects there may be a few reasons for this.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt could be that you\u2019re chewing longer on protein, it sits heavier in your stomach, or also, because of its fat content, it stays in the stomach longer (delaying gastric emptying) and may therefore keep you fuller longer,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n That said, how full you feel after consuming protein may vary from person to person. \u201cIt might depend on what else you\u2019re eating, the type of protein you\u2019re eating, how much fat it contains, and how it was prepared,\u201d Hunnes told Health.\n<\/p>\n Compared to carbohydrates and fats, protein requires more energy to digest, absorb, and metabolize, said Allison Childress, PhD, RDN, LD, CSSD<\/a>, a sports dietitian and associate professor in the department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Tech University.<\/p>\n Several studies show that many people experience a metabolism boost when starting a high-protein diet. Over time, however, this effect wanes, and only meals super high in protein continue to rev up metabolism. There is a caveat, according to Childress: Losing weight or lean mass will offset that metabolic boost.<\/p>\n Protein provides amino acids<\/a> that directly stimulate muscle protein synthesis, the process that fuels muscle repair and growth.<\/p>\n After you work out\u2014and for roughly 24 to 48 hours\u2014your muscles become more sensitive to amino acids, explained Childress. During this period, labeled \u201cthe anabolic window,\u201d protein intake can facilitate muscle repair, support growth, and help prevent your body from breaking down muscles for energy.<\/p>\n What might that feel like? According to Childress, you may experience \u201cless soreness, improved performance in future bouts of exercise, preservation of or gain in muscle mass, and improved recovery.\u201d You might also feel less drained, sleep better, and have fewer aches and pains, she told Health.\n<\/p>\n In the longer term, loading up on protein may change your body composition\u2014but only if you\u2019re also engaging in vigorous resistance training, like weightlifting, according to Christopher Gardner, PhD<\/a>, the director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. \u201cIt has been proven that you can\u2019t simply eat protein and gain muscle,\u201d he told Health.\n<\/p>\n If you\u2019re working out consistently, it may still take months to see noticeable muscle growth. \u201cIt requires breaking down current muscle and rebuilding it, again and again and again,\u201d Gardner explained.\n<\/p>\n While most people won\u2019t experience gastrointestinal symptoms<\/a>, some may find they become constipated when consuming more protein, research shows.<\/p>\n