ArticleInternational journal of obesity (2005)2024
Evidence for protein leverage on total energy intake, but not body mass index, in a large cohort of older adults.
Article in International journal of obesity (2005), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Age-Related Differences in Dietary Intake and Nutritional Status Among Older Adults in Croatia: Results from a National Food Consumption Survey.Epidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Brain amino acid sensing for organismal amino acid homeostasis.Open biology · 2025Review
- Cross-sectional analysis of eating disorder risk and risk correlates in candidates for bariatric surgery from the BariPredict cohort.Scientific reports · 2025Observational
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
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Abstract
backgroundProtein leverage (PL) is the phenomenon of consuming food until absolute intake of protein approaches a 'target value', such that total energy intake (TEI) varies passively with the ratio of protein: non-protein energy (fat + carbohydrate) in the diet. The PL hypothesis (PLH) suggests that the dilution of protein in energy-dense foods, particularly those rich in carbohydrates and fats, combines with protein leverage to contribute to the global obesity epidemic. Evidence for PL has been reported in younger adults, children and adolescents. This study aimed to test for PL and the protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) in a cohort of older adults.
methodsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of dietary intake in a cohort of 1699 community-dwelling older adults aged 67-84 years from the NuAge cohort. We computed TEI and the energy contribution (EC) from each macronutrient. The strength of leverage of macronutrients was assessed through power functions (
resultsIn this cohort of older adults, 53% of individuals had obesity and 1.5% had severe cases. The mean TEI was 7673 kJ and macronutrients' ECs were 50.4%, 33.2% and 16.4%, respectively for carbohydrates, fat, and protein. There was a strong negative association (L = -0.37; p < 0.001) between the protein EC and TEI. Each percent of energy intake from protein reduced TEI by 77 kJ on average, ceteris paribus. However, BMI was unassociated with TEI in this cohort.
conclusionsFindings indicate clear evidence for PL on TEI, but not on BMI, likely because of aging, body composition, sarcopenia, or protein wasting.
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