Dietitians Informed About New Research on Protein

DENVER, Colo. (October 26, 2001) – Through the beef checkoff, dietitians attending their national convention got a chance to learn groundbreaking new information about protein. The information was presented October 21 at the American Dietetic Association’s 2001 Food and Nutrition Conference & Exhibition in St. Louis, Mo.

Scientific research has shed new light on the emerging role of moderate protein diets in metabolic control and dietary compliance, according to key nutrition authorities. Presenting this information at the convention were Food and Nutrition Professor Donald Layman from the University of Illinois, Assistant Professor Lynne Scott from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and Nutrition Consultant Dayle Hayes from Billings, Mont.

“Consumers are inundated with mixed messages about extreme macronutrient diets, particularly those very high in protein, leaving them to question what really is the most beneficial balance of protein and carbohydrates,” said Hayes, a member of the beef checkoff-funded Council for Women’s Nutrition Solutions.

“Currently there is little data on protein diets,” Hayes said. “But some new, thought-provoking research explores the emerging role of moderate protein diets in weight management and blood glucose control.”

Hayes is referring to a study led by Dr. Layman demonstrating that increasing the proportion of protein to carbohydrates in the diet, with extensive use of beef and other animal products, can have positive effects on the health of adult women.

Layman’s study examined the value of two diets with modified ratios of protein and carbohydrates to produce changes in body weight, body composition, blood lipids and appetite in adult women. After 10 weeks, while both groups lost weight, the women on the moderate protein diet lost more fat tissue and maintained more muscle tissue compared to the women on the higher carbohydrates diet.

This is significant information, Hayes said, considering:

q Nearly 55 percent of U.S. adults are overweight, and more than 22 percent are obese;

q Health care costs directly attributable to obesity amount to $100 billion per year; and

q Obesity is a major contributor to illnesses such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, and breast, prostate and colon cancers.

This information was shared with dietitians at one of four educational sessions sponsored at the health conference by the beef industry, which also operated an exhibit booth and was the main sponsor of the convention’s Foundation Gala Dinner.

Beef industry nutrition efforts are funded by beef producers through their $1-per-head checkoff program, which is administered by the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board. This 110-member board is appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to oversee the collection of the checkoff, certify state beef councils, implement the provisions of the federal order establishing the checkoff and evaluate the effectiveness of checkoff programs.

Coordination for this project was provided by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the NCBA is the trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.

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Producer-directed and consumer-focused, the National Cattlemen`s Beef Association is the trade association of America’s cattle farmers and ranchers, and the marketing organization for the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.